


Sobriety is Overrated

by TragicianJai



Series: Loving is Easy - Ben/Klaus Hargreeves [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben is secretly quite dominant, Incest but not incest, Klaus is a junkie, Klaus is suicidal sometimes, Klaus is worried, Klaus likes drugs, M/M, Protective Ben, addict, ben likes books, clingy klaus, drugs make you feel better, incest not sorry, not technically brothers so its okay, over emotional klaus, overly affectionate klaus, the Hargreeves don't like Klaus, the past future is confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-11-03 18:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TragicianJai/pseuds/TragicianJai
Summary: After the end of the fucking world, they went back. Back to when they were 14, but a few years have passed now. Everything is so much different from how it was before. And this time around Ben is alive, Klaus wouldn't let Ben die. Ben had to stay right there, by his side.Klaus is still tempted by drugs though, he knows what they're like, and they feel so good. Ben couldn't know though, he would probably get mad. And Ben is all he has, everyone else.. well they aren't too fond of him anymore.





	1. Grilled Cheese

Klaus Hargreeves.

A fucked up boy with too much going on in his head.

It was hard being sober- he'd been being sober. And then the end of the world happened. Vanya happened.

It had been a few years since they got back. It was all fine, they had grown up again.

So.. now they were all back in the house, before it had all gone down. Back when they were 17. Except this time, Ben wasn't dead. Somehow he was alive again. And this made Klaus so very happy, he was so happy to have him back. The only one who seemed to really care about him.

Everyone else wasn't very fussed about interacting with Klaus. He seemed to be an afterthought, even if he was more included than Vanya was. They all thought his ability was weird, disturbing. They didn't understand why he did the things he did. That was okay though, just made Klaus feel like complete and utter shit.

Right now though, he was sitting in his bed. As he always did, curled up, listening to music. Some old classics. He was so bored though, he tried to avoid talking to the others. They just really didn't get him.

He could go see Ben, that would be a good idea. Ben was good company, even if most of the time he was trying to get Klaus to be sober.

But Klaus figured, if Ben was back, then he didn't need to be sober. Didn't need to try to be sober so he could connect with Ben. Ben was here, it was all okay again. Just this time around they needed to include Vanya and help her to control her powers and help her understand that they loved her.

Maybe this way she wouldn't cause the end of the fucking world.

Klaus dragged himself out of bed, his bare feet padding along on the cold floor as he wandered to Bens room. "Ben~" he called, smiling as he poked his head around the door frame.

Ben was sitting at his desk, reading a book. He didn't appear to hear Klaus.

"Ben!" Klaus called again, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"Fuck- Klaus." Ben jumped, turning his head to look at Klaus with a frown.

"Sorry Ben.." Klaus pouted at him, "Do you still love me?"

"No." Ben sighed, looking back at his book and folding the corner before shutting the book.

Klaus by this point had let go of Ben and had plopped himself down on the bed. "So, anyways. I'm bored. What do you want to do?"

"You're the one that came into my room?" Ben questioned and then laughed. "How about we go make some food? Grilled cheese?"

Klaus thought for a moment before nodding. "That is the.. best! Idea!" He practically shouted at Ben before leaping off the bed and walking into the hall, hearing Ben just laughing at him.

Klaus practically skipped down the hallway, towards the stairs. "Let's go, come on Ben." He whined, looking back at his best friend.

His best friend that he might like just a bit too much.

Ben shook his head, "I'm coming, you're too impatient."

Klaus was in the kitchen before Ben, already looking through the fridge. Trying to find the cheese. He located it and tossed it towards Ben who caught it. Luckily.

"Let's get making, I'll find the ingredients and you make it." Klaus informed Ben. He was lazy, so very lazy.

"Why can't you help?" Ben asked, getting the bread out and beginning to sort it out onto plates. "At least turn the grill on."

"Hmm, okay." Klaus hummed, putting the butter on the table. He cranked on the oven, opening it up so it could heat up. Then hoisting himself up onto the counter, to sit and watch Ben making him an afternoon snack.

Klaus just watched Ben with a small smile on his face. He was surprised he'd never actually told Ben that he liked him. He didn't know how Ben hadn't figured it out. Ben knew he was gay, but no one else in the family did. He had a feeling Diego wouldn't take well to finding out that his brother was a .. well faggot.

Ben glanced over to Klaus, grinning. "Hungry?"

Klaus nodded, "Yes, bitch. Get my food on." He grinned, nodding his head to the oven.

"Okay, patience." Ben took the plates over to the oven, carefully placing the cheese sandwiches on the grill. "Won't take long because my helpful friend put the grill on for me." He joked.

Klaus laughed, jumping down from the counter so he could stand behind Ben and hang onto him. "I'm your bestest friend." He purred into Ben's shoulder, because he couldn't quite reach his ear.

Ben just laughed at Klaus. "Yeah I know." He just let Klaus hang onto him while he made the sandwiches. He didn't mind how touchy feely Klaus was. He actually quite liked it, made him feel special. He felt like Klaus was more touchy feely with him rather than anyone else. Although, that made sense because they never really were all that nice to him.

They left Klaus out a lot, and it made him annoyed. They used to leave out Vanya too, but now she was very included. All so that she wouldn't go nuts and cause the end of the world. But Klaus was just being left out because they thought he was weird, and that they only thought of him as a wrecked junkie.

It wasn't long before the grilled cheese was done. Ben fished it out of the grill, turning it off and transferring their food to the plates. "All done, happy now?" He asked, smiling at Klaus.

"Very." He replied with a small smile, taking the plate from beside Ben. Klaus wandered over to the table, sitting down and beginning to eat the very hot snack. But he didn't care that it burned him a little- it just tasted so good.

Ben sat beside him, being more careful not to burn himself with the food. "You should be more careful." He observed, looking over at Klaus with a small frown. "It's hot."

"Yeah I know, but I got you to make me feel better." Klaus purred and winked at Ben, meaning it half as a joke, and half not. Because he did actually want Ben to make him feel better.

Ben's cheeks flushed red for a second before he gathered himself. "You're lucky I like you." He huffed before taking a bite out of his sandwich. "I feel like the other's wouldn't take kindly to your very sexual behaviour." he laughed a little at the second comment.

"But you like it." Klaus pouted at Ben, resting his face on his hand before grinning and leaning over, pecking Ben on the cheek.

"Klaus stop!" Ben laughed, pushing him back gently. "Eat your food." He was shaking his head.

"Hmm, okay." Klaus huffed, deciding to eat his snack now that it had cooled down a bit. He was quiet for a little bit, wondering if he'd taken it too far when Ben tapped him and then gave him a hug.

"I hope you're doing okay." He said softly, pulling Klaus a little closer.

Klaus was taken a-back. He hadn't expected this at all. Ben was never one to return affections. Hell, he didn't think Ben would ever like him back how he liked him. And technically he shouldn't because Ben was his brother. But he wasn't really his brother, they had different moms. No dads.. just an adopted, harsh one. Technically this was like boarding school.

Klaus had lost his train of thought, he just moved deeper into Ben's hold, happy for the affection he was getting and not replying in the slightest. He didn't want to, didn't need to. Just wanted Ben to hold him while they were alone.


	2. Weed and Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus gives in and returns to his old habits from the future (and the past, technically). Also, thinks too much. Thinking is bad, drugs would be so much better.

Sitting alone in the middle of the street wasn't exactly what Klaus thought of as fun. It was basically the middle of the night, and he had been so bored in the house. Well, bored wasn't the word. Feeling left out and hated by his family, that was how he felt. 

He'd just left, he couldn't deal with listening to hushed voices when he walked near them. The dead were coming back too, and he was scared. He could see them everywhere. This, this was how it had happened last time. How he'd gotten into drugs. He could start off with just weed, maybe that would calm his nerves enough.

Plus, weed wasn't really a real drug. Totally not, that would be very fine. 

"Need some." Klaus huffed to himself, slowly standing up and wandering along to where he remembered that people sold there. All those years ago, well all those years in the future but before? He just hoped to god they would still be there. He'd stolen cash from the house, enough that he'd be able to get stuff to smoke some joints. 

It wasn't long before Klaus spotted the guy who was well known for selling between the people that needed. But it wasn't of course known to the cops, that would have been shit. He would need to be careful about this though, make sure he didn't fuck it up. It could go badly.

"Hey." Klaus spoke quietly, looking at the guy. He felt so vulnerable but at the same time, he didn't care.

The man just looked at him, cocking an eyebrow. "Yes?" He questioned, seeming skeptical. 

"Was wondering if you could, y'know, hook me up?" Klaus asked, still being relatively quiet. 

"What you looking for buddy?" The man seemed more interested now in what Klaus had to say.

"Just some weed, if you're selling." Klaus offered a small smile, trying to be friendly. 

"Sure, got bags. How much you looking for? £15 a gram." 

"Uh.. let's say.. 10 grams?" Klaus offered. He was hoping to smoke a lot, but also keep him going for a little while. Didn't know when he would next be able to get any of this. 

The man nodded, holding his hand out for the money. "Show me the cash then you can get it."

Klaus just fished out the cash from his pocket, finding the £150, he showed it to the man, counting it out. 

"Okay." The guy glanced about before nodding to Klaus, "Come over here." He led Klaus into an alleyway, quite happy with the amount of money he was getting. 

It wasn't long before Klaus was on his merry way, 10 grams of the good stuff in the inside pockets of his jacket. He just needed to run into a shop and steal some stuff for making joints then he could get home and smoke up a storm. 

He knew it was such a bad idea to get back into this again, but honestly weed wasn't that bad. It was nothing compared to what he used to take. So it was fine, so so fine. It would be cool, he wouldn't get addicted again. Definitely not.

Klaus stepped into a corner store, having a check for where the cash register lady was before he set off into the aisle where he could find what he needed. 

Klaus carefully stuffed the paper into his pockets and a lighter along with the other couple little bits. This should be fine. But- oh wait. Klaus spotted the liquor aisle. That could be good, some whiskey would be just great. 

He carefully picked up a small bottle of whiskey, it was cheap stuff, but that was fine. He just tried shoving it in his pockets, but it was quite obvious the bottle was there. Definitely would need to be careful when he left.

Stepping slowly along to the end aisle where he could see the door, he walked casually, trying to cover up the shape of the bottle as he cleared the aisle and was visible by the lady. He just didn't look at her, walking straight out the door. 

"That went well." He grinned, beginning to walk off towards home. He was surprised he'd managed to get that. He was going to be so sorted for tonight. Just need to hide it from anyone else and shove something against his door so no one else could get in. 

It was beginning to get dark, and it seemed that there were more and more of the dead appearing close to him, trying to speak to him.

"Please, please just leave me alone." He whined, hugging himself, he was almost back. He could see the house down the street. "Come on, just let me be. I can't help you!" He shouted at them. 

He absolutely hated his 'power'. It wasn't a power, it was inconvenient, it was torture. It made him feel awful. He couldn't wait to get into his room and smoke a joint or drink some straight whiskey. That would make it all go away, and that would be so much better than this.

The gate swung open, Klaus ran up the steps, pushing the door open and shutting it behind him. No one was waiting for him. No one wanted to see him, except maybe Ben. But... maybe Ben wouldn't want to. Klaus was so annoying, he would just annoy him. Everyone else always told him how annoying he was.

Klaus was shaking his head, talking to himself as he walked to his room. The dead were still trying to speak to him. He needed to be alone, but be alone with his drink and weed. Maybe not both at once, because then he would definitely be sick. Weed and whiskey wouldn't go well together, he knew that from past experiences.. from before he went back in time.

He heard Ben in his room, his room was across the hall from his room. But he went into his own room first, stashing the drink and weed under his bed. He could take some later. He kind of wanted to see Ben right now, even though he would be annoying. 

Klaus kicked his shoes off, they hit the wall. That was fine, he didn't care what dad would say to him. He was the disappointment, majorly. Whatever though, didn't fucking matter. He pulled his shirt off too, pulling a sweater on instead, it was kinda cold in the house. He didn't feel like dressing half naked how he usually did. 

He walked across the hall, stepping quietly before he knocked on the door. Waiting outside the door, hugging himself. He felt kinda scared, he could still hear the dead. They wouldn't leave him alone. He knew he was 17 and shouldn't act like this anymore, but he felt too mentally fucked up to be able to change it.

"Yeah?" Ben opened the door, he was only wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He had obviously been in bed. 

"Did- did I wake you?" Klaus questioned, glancing up at Ben before he looked down at his feet.

"No, it's okay. What's up?" Ben asked, he wondered why Klaus had knocked, he never usually did. Usually just opened the door and walked right in. 

Klaus was silent for a minute before shrugging, he just really wanted a hug. Well, a cuddle would be nice. 

Ben frowned, Klaus seemed so.. down. He didn't usually act like this. "Come on." He gently grabbed hold of the sleeve of Klaus's jumper and tugged him into his room. He hated seeing Klaus like this. 

Klaus just nodded and followed Ben into his room, letting Ben sit him down on the bed. He had shut the door so that no one could see into the room. 

Ben sat beside Klaus. "Want to talk about what's up?" He asked, looking at his brother. He considered him his little brother. Mainly because he was quite a bit taller. 

"I.. I don't know. Just, just don't feel that great recently. Everyone else, they don't really like me." Klaus mumbled, fidgeting and pulling at the sleeves of his sweater. He didn't want to look at Ben.

"I- they.." Ben faltered, because he almost agreed with Klaus. They were being horrible to him. "They are being shit to you." Ben said slowly, "But, I will speak to them, because there's no reason for them to be mean. They can't leave you out, because now it's only you that they seem to be leaving out. Vanya is being included again."

Klaus just nodded, sniffing a little. "Can I have a hug?" he whispered, he felt so bad for being like this in front of Ben. Usually he was just so upbeat and pretended he didn't care, but it was wearing him down so much. He couldn't really handle it anymore.

Ben's face fell, Klaus was so so sad. He didn't want him to feel this way ever. "Of course." He told him softly, pulling Klaus into a hug, holding him close. "It'll be okay, don't you worry." He murmured into Klaus's messy hair that needed washed, but of course Klaus wouldn't wash it for a while. He knew how lazy he was.

Klaus's chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to hold back tears. "Don't cry." He whispered to himself, bunching his hands up in Ben's shirt. He hiccuped, his eyes filling with tears. He felt like such a pussy, acting like this in front of Ben. Ben wouldn't like him anymore, not that he liked him anyways- well not like how he wanted Ben to like him. 

Ben rubbed Klaus's back, pulling him further onto the bed and lying them both down. "You can cry, it's okay. It's good to let it out." He told him gently. He was so protective of Klaus, he really couldn't help it. He was just so fragile and messed up, all Ben wanted to do was protect him.

That was it though, Klaus let it out, beginning to sob quietly into Ben's chest. "I'm sorry, I'm such a mess." Klaus mumbled through his tears. he was probably soaking his brothers shirt, but he was also too upset to care. He hated the fact that everyone left him out, he hated his abilities and he hated the fact that he was so in love with a boy that wouldn't return it. 

"No, you're okay Klaus. You're not a mess, you're amazing." Ben kissed the top of Klaus's head. "Shh.." He hushed Klaus, rubbing his back still. He hoped Klaus would fall asleep, that way he could keep him safe here. Even if the bed's were quite small. 

Klaus nodded, still crying softly, but he began to feel so tired. He wanted to sleep- but his only regret would be not smoking his weed yet.

He could do that tomorrow though, that would be okay. Would be fine. Right now, now he just needed to sleep. He felt safer with Ben, the dead left him alone when he stayed with Ben. He loved Ben, he just wanted Ben to love him back.

So desperate for his brother to love him back the way he had loved him for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben is protective af


	3. Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus gets baked and he wants to share. Also, getting the munchies is a thing.

Klaus woke up, feeling warm. There was a body pressed against his back and he felt so loved. This felt so nice. There was a little light peeking out from the curtains, but not enough that it was annoying. 

He hummed a little, not bothering to move. He never wanted to move, this was like in his dreams. A dream that he thought would never come true, but he supposed it kind of had if Ben was lying behind him and cuddling him. He could hear footsteps in the hall though, he just hoped they wouldn't come in.

But of course, they had to knock on the door and open it. "Wake up!" Diego called as he opened the door, it was breakfast time obviously, but that didn't help this situation.

Ben jumped awake at the sound of Diego's voice, sitting up quickly, the covers sliding down. "What?" He sounded groggy, and.. well his morning voice sounded hot. That's what Klaus thought anyways. 

Diego stared at them. "Why are you sleeping in the same bed?" He asked, confused. "Why, why are you in the bed with him?" He added, frowning at Ben, not even properly addressing Klaus. 

"Because he's my friend." Ben snapped, getting out the bed. "We'll be down soon for breakfast." 

Diego just looked at Ben and shook his head before walking away, muttering under his breath. 

Klaus all of a sudden felt shit. That was such a great start to the day. Being found by Diego of all people. That was just fucking perfect. He was definitely smoking his joint today. He just clambered out of Ben's bed, sad that he wouldn't be able to sleep in it for longer. He had been enjoying that.

"Ready to go down?" Ben asked, looking over to Klaus. His hair was a bit messy, but he supposed his own probably was too. Klaus just nodded in response to Ben, following him out the door and towards the table for breakfast. 

He just kept quiet as he sat down, keeping to himself as he waited to be able to eat. It was pancakes for breakfast, one of his favourites. But he didn't really feel up to it, not after the run in with Diego as soon as he had woken up. 

Ben was sat a couple seats away from Klaus, as they had to sit in order of their numbers. 4 and 6 were quite obviously not beside each other. So Number five was between them, lucky Klaus. Five seemed to hate him, a lot. Lucky, lucky Klaus.

Everyone else started eating and Klaus just picked at his food. His stomach hurt but he didn't want to eat. And he could see Diego whispering to Allison and glancing over to him. He tried to just ignore it, shoving some pancakes into his mouth. Maybe if he ate all of it faster he could just leave and go back to his room. 

Ben was actually enjoying his breakfast, but obviously everyone had to eat quietly. In silence. That was what Dad wanted. He glanced over to Four, frowning when he saw him half picking at his food but scoffing it down at the same time. Klaus was just acting so strange.

Klaus didn't look up from his plate, he sipped on his orange juice, having finished his pancakes. Hurry the fuck up, come on, he just wanted to leave the table and go smoke a joint. 

Eventually, Dad left the table, meaning everyone else could. Klaus got up, not bothering to speak to anyone, not even Ben and headed straight for his room. No one bothered to speak to him, not coming anywhere near him. 

Klaus closed his door behind him, pushing a box in front of his door before he fished the baggies from under his bed and tossed it onto his desk. He had a grinder, he'd bought it ages ago when he had considered starting this before. But he put it off, now, now he was so ready. 

He started to grind some of the weed in the little contraption, sorting the paper out as well. It didn't take long for him to lay some of the weed inside the the paper and rolling it up. He licked along the edge, sealing it together. 

"Thank fuck." He mumbled before lighting the joint and sucking the smoke into his lungs before blowing it out. This was going to feel so good, he really missed this feeling. The feeling of being so high you didn't know what was going on.

Klaus collapsed on his bed, rubbing a hand through his hair before taking another few tokes of the joint. He could slowly feel the drugs working their magic, the dead's voices were disappearing and it wasn't long before he felt as high as a kite. 

"I need to wash." Klaus mumbled to himself, stubbing his joint out. He'd smoked as much of it as he could, he was gonna burn his fingers soon. 

He got up, feeling wavy and almost like he was having an out of body experience as he pushed the box out of the way of the door. Klaus touched the door handle, wincing, it felt cold. But he pulled it open anyways. "Wow, so cold." He whispered to himself with a giggle. 

Klaus began to walk towards the bathroom, singing to himself as he walked along the hall. It felt amazing to not feel like himself. To feel so high that he didn't care that his siblings didn't like him. 

He turned the dial to turn the shower on and stepped back, closing the door that he'd forgotten to close. There were fresh, clean towels on the shelf. Mom always looked after them so well. She was so lovely. 

"I love Mom." Klaus laughed, dancing about the bathroom to a song in his head. He felt so light and carefree. This was so much fun. After he washed he would go see Ben again. He loved Ben so much. 

He pulled his clothes off, chucking them on the floor by the bath before he stepped into the shower. He found some soap and scrubbed himself lazily, still humming away to a song in his head. 

He remembered to wash his hair too- scrubbing it with the soap as well instead of using shampoo like he should have. But he felt great, so it didn't matter. 

"All done!" He announced to himself before he got out the shower, turning the water off and grabbing a towel. He wrapped it around his body, like how a woman would, but it was comfy that way. "Gotta go see Ben."

Klaus left the bathroom, just leaving his clothes behind him as he walked to Ben's room. He didn't knock, just opened the door. Ben was just sitting on his bed reading his book again. He looked up at Klaus with a smirk. "What do you want?" 

"I dunnoooo." Klaus laughed, he was still wet from the shower, and his hair was dripping water onto his face. 

"You're getting water everywhere." Ben folded the corner of his page and put the book down on his table before standing up to help Klaus. He picked up a towel from the corner of his room. It was clean, his personal one. He didn't really like using the shared towels. 

"Let me help." Ben told Klaus, rubbing his head with the towel in an attempt to get it to stop dripping water everywhere.

Klaus just laughed at Ben, he felt wavy again, but he wanted more weed. Maybe Ben would want some too- but also he didn't want to share. He knew his eyes were red. Oh fuck what if Ben was mad at him. Don't be mad Ben. 

Ben took the towel away and looked into Klaus's eyes. He could tell he was on something, he just hoped it wasn't something really bad that Klaus had taken. Hopefully he could keep him just on trivial drugs if he really insisted on taking them.

"What did you smoke?" Ben asked Klaus, frowning slightly.

"I have never smoked!" Klaus spoke, feigning innocence with a small grin. "Who would do that- who would smoke the weed." He laughed after a second. 

"Just weed? I guess that's fine." Ben hummed, he shut his bedroom door. "How come you came to see me?" He questioned again, wondering if Klaus would enlighten him to something other than a rather drawn out 'I dunno'. 

"I just wanted to see you." Klaus pouted, grabbing a hold of Ben's arms. "You're my favourite so I wanted to come hug you and stuff." He winked. looking up into his brothers eyes. "If you know what I mean."

Ben's face turned red. "Klaus, stop flirting with me." He laughed a little, seeming nervous. Klaus always acted like this, but he thought it was just a joke. 

"But why? Don't you love the attention Ben?" Klaus purred, moving closer to Ben. 

"Uh, I don't know Klaus. Look, why don't you go get dressed." Ben suggested, "I'll help you pick an outfit if you want?"

"Yeah, good plan. Let's go to my room." Klaus giggled, grabbing onto Ben's hand instead and dragging him across the hall into his room. "Make sure it's a good outfit, or I'm firing you as my stylist." He informed his big brother before sitting on the bed.

Ben laughed a bit, this was okay. He didn't know why he got so nervous when Klaus was suggestive towards him. He guess deep down maybe he liked it... but he wasn't sure. Klaus wasn't in the right mind right now. He was high- but then again, he was always high before.

Ben began to look through Klaus's drawers, he found his drawer of underwear and was a little surprised at the style. They were so small. He picked up a leopard print pair, holding them by the band, "These?" he asked.

"Hmm, do you think they are sexy enough?" Klaus questioned, leaning forward on his bed.

"I guess so?" Ben smirked, chucking them over to Klaus. He then found a pair of ripped jeans next, turning round to ask Klaus his thoughts. He didn't really expect to turn around and see Klaus without his towel on.

Klaus didn't seem bothered at all though, he looked up at Ben. "Some privacy?" He questioned with a small grin. "Or do you wanna watch me get dressed. Seems like a reverse strip show though. Wouldn't you prefer to watch me get undressed?" He couldn't help the constant flirting with Ben. Ben was just so... wow. 

Ben couldn't look away, he faltered. "I- uh. Strip shows are nice, but you should be getting dressed." He informed Klaus, hoping he'd put on his.. whatever they were. 

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll get dressed." Klaus whined, standing up and pulling his briefs up, adjusting his junk a little once he'd gotten them on. "How sexy? Rate me out of 10." 

"Definitely a 10." Ben teased, deciding to humour Klaus's seemingly horny mood. 

"Good. Maybe I'll keep these on when I come see you later tonight. Then you can take them off me." Klaus hummed, winking at Ben.

Ben shook his head and tossed the skinnies to Klaus. "Put them on, you weirdo." 

Klaus laughed, "Fine." He began pulling up the jeans, jumping about to try and get them on. "Y'know, being high is so much better than being sober." He told Ben, collapsing back down on the bed. "You just feel so free, and happy. Like you don't care what anyone would say to you. Everything is just so fine."

"Well.. I'm glad you feel happy." Ben said softly, pulling a tank top out of the closet before walking over. "Arms up." He helped Klaus to put the top on. 

"I'm glad I'm happy too." Klaus laughed, pulling Ben onto the bed. "Do you wanna smoke some with me? I don't think I've had enough."

Ben thought for a moment, "I.. I guess I could smoke a little bit." He gave in, he wanted to know what it was like for Klaus. Being so high and carefree. It would be fun.

Klaus grinned, "Perfect." He kissed Ben on the cheek before springing up off the bed and beginning to make another joint. "You're gonna love it. It's the best fucking feeling in the world." 

"I'm sure." Ben hummed, watching Klaus making the joint. Hopefully no one would notice the strong smell of marijuana coming from Klaus's room. But then again, they probably wouldn't think twice because this was just normal Klaus. 

"Done!" Klaus announced, lighting the joint. He sucked a drag out of the joint, holding it in his lungs for a second before he slowly breathed out. "Ahhhhh.." He sighed, passing the joint to Ben. "You know how to smoke right?" He questioned, grinning at Ben. 

"Yeah, I've watched you do it enough times." Ben told him, a small smile. He still remembered all those days following Klaus about when he was dead. 

"Okay, let's get lit, and more lit." Klaus laughed again, he felt so wavy. 

Ben nodded, "Let's." He took a drag of the joint, finding it surprisingly easy to smoke. He breathed out, and then took another couple drags before passing it back to Klaus. "That's actually quite good."

"I know, we can be stoner buddies together." Klaus grinned.

"Maybe." Ben laughed. 

They continued to share the joint till Klaus was thoroughly baked and Ben was quite high. High enough anyways. 

"I'm hungry." Klaus whined, cuddling Ben. "Feed me."

Ben felt so disorientated but in a good way. "I'm hungry too." He mumbled, absentmindedly hugging Klaus back. 

"Let's go get ice cream." Klaus gasped. 

"That is such a good idea. The usual place?" Ben asked, smiling lazily at Klaus. 

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Klaus got up, shoving his shoes on. 

Ben got up too, "I'll go put my shoes on." He wandered to his room, feeling like he was stepping out of his body with every step he took. Luckily he didn't come across anyone in the hallway so he quickly put his shoes on before going back to Klaus.

"Ready to go?" Ben asked his baby brother. 

"Yeah, let's go baby." Klaus winked before laughing and grabbing Ben's hand. They snuck out of the house successfully, Klaus brought the money he'd stolen as they headed to the ice cream shop. He was so excited, this was like a date. "Ben, we're going on a date." He giggled.

"A date?" Ben gasped, "Can't be a date." He laughed at Klaus. 

"But why not, you're my crush." Klaus joked, well he wasn't joking.

"Am I really?" Ben smiled, looking down at Klaus. "You're so cute." 

Klaus giggled, "I know I am, so are you." 

Ben just grinned, "Look, we're here." He held the door open for Klaus to walk in, which he did.

Klaus walked straight up the counter, "Can I have two scoops of chocolate please." He smiled and then turned to Ben, "What do you want?" He questioned.

"I'll have... two scoops of strawberry- in a tub." He told the lady behind the counter. They were trying their best to hold it together.

"Okay, that's £5." It was a cheap shop, but the ice cream was so good.

Klaus handed the money over, waiting for the two tubs before he grabbed them and spoons, heading to a table over in the back corner. 

Klaus and Ben sat across from each other, beginning to eat their ice cream. "Guess we got the munchies." Klaus giggled, touching Ben's leg with his foot underneath the table. 

"Guess we did." Ben smiled, he felt very wavy. This was a new, but welcomed feeling. 

Klaus just laughed and ate more of his ice cream. He was happy to be out with Ben again. It was fun. He felt Ben return the touching under the table, it made Klaus smile more to himself, he liked this. He just loved Ben so much. He thought that all the time. 

Ben was eating his ice cream slowly, watching Klaus with a fond smile. Klaus genuinely was adorable with his scruff- he couldn't seem to grow a beard. His hair was messy too, but it just all looked so perfect on him.

He was surprised that he was beginning to really think about how good Klaus looked. He had a nice body, his personality was great, even if he was a bit messed up. It was all okay to Ben. Ben just thought he was the best.

Klaus smiled at Ben, he'd finished his ice cream and so had Ben. "Wanna go back?" Klaus asked, speaking in a rather sultry tone. 

"I suppose we could." Ben hummed, standing up and holding his hand out to Klaus. "Let's go, princess." He could see that Klaus had a bit of chocolate on the corner of his lip. That gave him an idea.

He led Klaus out of the ice cream shop, laughing at how he walked. He definitely seemed very baked, but he knew what he was doing too. 

They were partway down the street, and not many people were about. Ben stopped. "Hey Klaus." He hummed.

Klaus looked up at Ben, "Yeah?" he smiled a little.

"You got a little something." Ben said softly, leaning in a little.

Klaus was a bit confused and frowned a little at Ben, "Where?" he asked.

"Here." Ben whispered before he gently pressed his lips against Klaus's, his hand moving to rest on Klaus's hip. 

Klaus was surprised, but he happily kissed Ben back, his eyes closed. This was definitely a dream come true. An amazing dream come true.


	4. Whiskey and the big O

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus gets so baked he can't even control himself.
> 
> Ben decides he could maybe let himself go, only because Klaus was completely fucked up.

Klaus felt on top of the world. Ben and him were walking back to the house again, holding hands. He didn't know if Ben only did that because he was high, but he didn't care. He just hoped when they got back they might continue. 

Ben felt so much different like this, the high had been good for helping him to realise that Klaus was maybe a bit more than just a good friend. But he maybe shouldn't go head first into this. They should keep it casual maybe for just now. Couldn't really deal with the rest of them knowing about them. Even though everyone was fine about the fact that Luther and Allison were almost definitely going to become a thing. 

Klaus was just away in his own world. He hoped that this would be something that could happen when Ben was sober, maybe not Klaus though. Klaus wanted to stay high, meant he could ignore the rest of his siblings, and the dead. Even though they didn't tend to annoy him around Ben. Ben made him feel so so very safe. 

He couldn't really help how much he was in love with Ben, he only regretted the fact that Ben must have seen him with countless men when he was dead and haunting him. But, that was technically in the future-past so it's okay. A different timeline. 

Ben pushed the gate open and walked with Klaus up to the front door before he dropped his hand. He didn't want their siblings knowing that it was becoming more than just being friends. Even if he didn't plan on making it more. Not yet at least, maybe when they moved out. Then it wouldn't be of anyone else's concern. 

Klaus frowned a little at first, but then didn't say anything, because to be honest he didn't want the endless bullying and teasing from his siblings to get any worse. He just followed Ben through the house towards the rooms and then into Ben's room. 

Ben felt like he was maybe beginning to come down a little from the high, but he felt tired. He just sat down on his bed, leaning against the wall, looking up at Klaus who was hovering by the door, he had shut it and was leaning against it. 

"Come sit down." Ben hummed, motioning for Klaus to come sit with him. He watched as Klaus slowly walked over and then sat down, seeming to be very cautious. 

Klaus looked at Ben, he was beginning to feel a little nervous even though he was still baked. He didn't know how Ben really felt about him, and his mind was running a million miles an hour.

"Why did you kiss me?" Klaus asked Ben, not looking at him when he asked.

Ben didn't respond for a minute before letting out a breath. "Well, it just.. seemed right at time." He replied, looking over to Klaus, who looked visibly nervous. 

Klaus nodded, fidgeting with his fingers. "Okay. So not because you like me or anything?" He asked, finally looking up at Ben. His eyes were wide despite how high he was. Honestly, being high didn't seem to change the way Klaus acted that much. 

Ben shook his head, "Like I said, just felt right at the time." He told Klaus, he was scared to let this be anything else. Because what if it didn't go right, and then they weren't able to go back to being friends- everything would be ruined.

Klaus looked away, "Okay cool." He laughed a little before standing up, "I'm gonna just.. I'm gonna.." He shrugged before quickly leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. 

"Fucking ruined it." Klaus mumbled, sniffing a little as he went to his room, shuffling his feet. It had been fine before he got high and then got Ben high. The kiss had been so nice, but everything was fucking ruined. So fucked.

He all but slammed the door behind him, pulling the whiskey out and tugging the lid open. He took a large swig from the bottle, swallowing before coughing a little. It was strong, he wasn't used to drinking this in this body. Well, he guessed he did before he went into the past again, but he hadn't actually done it yet. 

Klaus just felt like crying again, he felt a little used. Ben didn't like him, he would never like him. How could he after seeing Klaus go in and out of rehab, OD and be brought back countless times. He was just a fucked mess.

Ben was sitting, just looking at his door where Klaus had just left. He felt bad, he didn't want Klaus to feel like shit, he was just scared. He didn't know whether to go through or to just leave Klaus to it, god knows what he would be doing right now. That was what scared Ben even more though, he really did not want him to hurt himself.

Klaus was curled up on his bed, having made another joint. He puffed on it, taking swigs of whiskey in between. "I love Ben." He whispered to himself, a lone tear slid down his cheek. "Why can't he love me back, I don't care if they find out." 

Ben sighed, pacing back and forth in his room. It had been a good half hour since Klaus had left. He felt so bad. He needed to go see him and apologise.

Klaus heard a knock on his door, but he didn't move from where he was curled up in the corner of his bed. He had finished his joint and could barely see now. The whiskey had been put down on his table, he hadn't drank too much of it. 

Ben just opened the door when Klaus didn't answer. "Klaus." He looked at his brother, curled up in the bed, doing nothing. He spotted the whiskey too, and his room stank of weed. "I'm sorry..." 

Klaus couldn't even bring himself to be mad at Ben, he was just upset. It wasn't fair, none of this was fair. He just looked at Six, looking miserable. "Okay." He mumbled, pulling on his bedsheets. None of the dead were here right now, he was too out of his head. 

Ben frowned, shutting the door behind himself. "I just, I don't want the other's to know. I'm scared of how they would treat us." He admitted, "They would be horrible to you, I know they would."

Klaus didn't respond, closing his eyes instead. He felt the bed dip beside him as Ben sat down. He didn't know what to say, his mind was so fuzzy. He couldn't make much out. He supposed this weed must have really affected him a lot.

"Klaus, I do like you." Ben mumbled, he didn't think that Klaus would remember any of this. Klaus was much too high, and maybe Ben just wanted to take advantage of that. He knew it was wrong.

Klaus opened his eyes, looking at Ben through his eyelashes. "You like me?" He slurred, his breath smelled of whiskey. Ben just smiled and nodded at him.

Klaus didn't know what to say, again. He was completely out of it, he just grabbed onto Ben's arm instead, biting his bottom lip. He knew he didn't have to tell Ben that he liked him, Ben was obviously very aware of that. 

Ben leaned over, pecking Klaus's cheek. "It's okay, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He murmured, allowing himself to be pulled in further. He couldn't help it, Klaus was so intoxicating, but also such a bad influence for Ben. 

Klaus moved his head, brushing his lips against Ben's. "Ben.." He murmured, eyes closed. 

Ben smiled a little, "I know." He whispered before slowly kissing Klaus. His hands sliding over Klaus's arms. Klaus was just... this drug that he shouldn't be having. He was much worse than any drug he had ever heard of or seen Klaus doing. Klaus could majorly fuck over his life and more. 

Klaus clung onto Ben's shirt, kissing him harder. He felt Ben's tongue press against his lips and he gladly parted his lips a little more to let Ben in. His mind was so high, Ben was making him feel higher. He felt Ben's hands slide down to his hips, massaging small circles. Klaus felt a familiar feeling pooling in his stomach. He struggled to hold back a small whine, he wanted more from this. 

Ben smiled slightly into the kiss. He felt as if he had almost come down completely from the high from the weed, but this was making him feel high in a much different way. He heard Klaus whine against his lips, tugging on his shirt. 

"What's up, Klaus?" Ben whispered, pulling back for a second to kiss along his jaw.

Klaus breathed heavily, "I-I.." he stuttered, not sure what to say. His head felt so cloudy. He could feel Ben's hand sliding down to his thighs, squeezing gently. 

Ben snickered, "Feeling horny?" He asked, peppering kisses on his neck now too. He felt a low moan rumble from Klaus. He knew he was toying with him, but he couldn't help it. He was beginning to feel it too. 

Klaus nodded, "Please Ben." he mumbled, trying to pull Ben's top off. 

Ben smiled, he didn't want this to go too far. "No Klaus, maybe another time. Just now, let's enjoy this." He pushed Klaus down so they were both lying down, moving to kiss Klaus on the lips again to keep him quiet. 

Klaus whimpered, trying to pull Ben's hips down against his own. He felt Ben begin to grind down onto him as they made out in Klaus's room. His room was basically a hotbox so maybe they were both high again. Not that Klaus had come down at all, he'd just made himself worse.

Ben was enjoying this, Klaus was such a mess beneath him. A beautiful mess.

Klaus could only focus on the feeling of Ben's mouth against his own, his tongue massaging his and his hips grinding down on his own. Ben's dick was... hard. Klaus could feel it. Everything was just so much, he couldn't help it.

Ben heard Klaus let out a loud moan, seemingly freezing as he held onto Ben tightly. Ben hadn't actually gotten to that point yet, but he supposed maybe he should stop now. Klaus would probably be quite dead.

Klaus panted softly, clinging onto Ben still. "Ben.." He groaned.

"Shh." Ben petted Klaus's hair, moving to lay beside him. "It's okay." 

Klaus felt so tired now, his mind was fuzzier than before. He felt drunk and high and.. amazing. Ben was amazing, he loved Ben.

"Ben, I love you." Klaus told him. His mind too fucked to even really comprehend what was going on.

"I know, Klaus." Ben replied. He gently stroked Klaus's back, tracing patterns. "It's okay, go to sleep." 

Klaus just nodded against Ben's chest, letting out a small yawn as he closed his eyes again. He felt himself begin to drift off easily. It just felt so easy around Ben, especially when he returned his affections.

Ben lay there, holding Klaus. He looked so peaceful asleep. He knew from previous experiences that Klaus would not remember what had happened at all. From the way he was moving, Ben could tell he had smoked a lot, and the whiskey hadn't helped his state at all.

Ben supposed he should get Klaus changed and under the covers so he wasn't a mess when he woke up. He carefully got out of the bed, Klaus didn't even stir, he had practically passed out. Ben set about taking Klaus's jeans off and got another pair of clean briefs out. He gently changed Klaus out of what he had been wearing and shoved the clothes into a wash basket. 

Klaus was so adorable, Ben shouldn't be doing this to him. It was so horrible, but until he was really ready.. he'd stick to doing it this way, so Klaus would never remember what they had done. 

Ben just made sure Klaus was curled up under the covers and hid his whiskey and marijuana so they wouldn't be readily visible. He left the room, going to his own, he would read more of his book until it was dinner time. 

\---

Klaus woke up feeling groggy, to the sound of a bell being rung in the hallway. He pulled his covers up higher, he still felt drunk, but not high. His memory was so fuzzy, he didn't remember what had happened at all. 

He looked over to his clock, frowning. Apparently it was dinner time, but he felt a bit sick. He supposed he would get into more shit if he didn't go to dinner though, so he got out of bed. Where were his jeans?

He just shook his head, putting it down to being baked out of his mind. He got some shorts out of a drawer and pulled them on. He grabbed a hoodie too, pulling that on before he headed out of his room and along the hallway. He saw Ben just ahead, so he smiled a little and walked faster.

"Ben, wait on me?" He called, smiling when Ben looked back and stopped walking till Klaus caught up with him.

"I feel so weird." Klaus laughed, "I was so out of it, like.. wow. I don't even know what I did when we came back here. I remember getting ice cream, and that's it."

Ben nodded, "We just came back and hung out for a little, then you got tired, so I let you go to sleep. You smoked a bit more when we came back too." He told Klaus casually, because technically that was what happened. He just didn't mention the fact that they had made out and he had made Klaus orgasm. That was... a secret for himself.

He felt bad for lying, but Klaus couldn't know, he would probably be mortified. Keep everything quiet, only do it when Klaus is baked out of his mind. Maybe start slowly allowing himself to flirt with him. It would all work out fine.

But also.. Klaus told Ben he loved him. Ben thought before it was just a crush, but he could see now that it must be love. So maybe he really shouldn't toy with his little brother.


	5. No Mushrooms Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is heartbroken.
> 
> Ben wants to give in, he doesn't want Klaus hurting anymore than he already is.

Klaus collapsed into his chair at the dinner table, he felt dead. So very tired from the effects of the weed wearing off and from being drunk. He was surprised he hadn't been sick yet, that would probably come after this meal. 

The meal in question was, pasta. Nothing too bad, there were mushrooms mixed through it though. Klaus wasn't very fond of mushrooms. They felt fucking weird in his mouth, only mushrooms he liked were magic mushrooms. Speaking of- they would be a fun thing to have next time. After he's run out of weed.

Klaus just began picking at his food, he supposed he was quite hungry. Even if he also felt sick. That's fine though, just as long as no one else noticed that he was drunk and smelt like whiskey. Oh and weed. That would be a big giveaway. He should have put some sort of aftershave on before leaving his room. Too late!

He was given strange looks from the rest of his family as he picked all the mushrooms off his pasta, placing them to one side and then eating his pasta without the mushrooms on it. Klaus just ignored them, choosing to instead look at his plate. Fuck off, assholes.

Ben was eating his food just fine, he wanted to get some more reading of his book in and then sleep. He was quite done with today, it had been a lot. Hopefully Klaus wouldn't come and talk to him or try to sleep with him. He didn't know if he'd be able to restrain himself. 

Problem was, that he could smell the whiskey coming from Klaus' direction. Which meant everyone else probably knew too. Dad hadn't mentioned it though, luckily for Klaus. Maybe he was just sick of Klaus being such a disappointment. He always told Klaus that he was the biggest disappointment of the family. A waste of time. 

Klaus had finished eating the pasta with the mushrooms sitting on the side of the plate. He fidgeted with his sweater as he waited to be able to leave. Watching as Mom came and cleared the plates from the table. then they were allowed to go.

He got up, walking slowly towards his room. Putting focus into walking normally.

"Why do you smell like whiskey?" Luther asked him, he had been walking behind him.

Klaus froze, and swallowed. What to say- "I was out on a walk, some dude spilled it on me. Haven't been for a wash yet." He responded without looking at One. Please leave me alone.

Luther huffed, "You're a liar. Not surprised that you're going back to being like that. Dad always said you were the disappointment." He said curtly before walking past Klaus, leaving him standing there with a heavy heart.

Klaus felt his mood shatter. He felt so alone. He wasn't going back to being like that. He was fine.. it was just, just because they were so horrible to him. All of them. They never took him seriously, always left him out. Thought he was weird. 

He thought for a moment to go and speak to Ben to try and cheer himself up, but he decided against that. He locked himself in the bathroom, curling up in the bathtub without any water. 

"I hate it here." He whispered, scratching at his arms. "I hate everyone."

He didn't know what to do with himself. He was honestly sick of just about everything. Only reason he liked sticking around was because of Ben. The fun he would have with Ben. All because he loved Ben with his whole heart.

But Ben must hate him. He was a fucking junkie, he was turning into one again. All over again, life was repeating itself. Except this time everyone else was better off, and Klaus felt even more alone than before. 

"Should just end it." he murmured, looking around the bathroom for something. Something to make him go numb. He didn't want drugs right now, or drink. He wanted to hurt. 

Ben had decided to go to Klaus's room to check on him. He had heard Luther in the hallway, he knew how hard that would hit Klaus. Being told that from Dads favourite. He was surprised that Klaus wasn't there, looked like he had never gone back into his room since dinner.

"Klaus?" Ben called, looking for him around the hall. He was confused until he heard a clatter from the bathroom. Ben frowned, walking towards the bathroom, he wondered who was in. He tried the door, it was locked obviously. 

"Hello?" he asked.

Klaus heard Ben on the other side of the door. "Shit." He muttered, looking around the bathroom for something to clean up what he had done. There was only the perfectly clean white towels that Mom had spent so long on. 

He grabbed one though, a smaller one. Pressed it against his leg. He didn't answer Ben yet. 

"Klaus are you in there? Let me in." Ben said after a couple of minutes had passed and there hadn't been any response. The bathroom had seemingly gone silent. 

Klaus frowned, looking down. It was beginning to... stop now. He raked through the cabinet and found some dressings. He quickly wrapped up his thigh, tying it in a knot at the side and stuffing the towel out of sight. 

"Klaus, seriously. Answer me." Ben sounded like he was getting angry. 

Klaus quickly flushed the toilet and then unlocked the door, opening it and smiling at Ben. "Sorry, was busy." he laughed a little hoping it didn't sound fake. 

Ben looked around the bathroom suspiciously before he looked back at Klaus. "Are you good?" He questioned. 

Klaus nodded enthusiastically, "Perfect." He grinned, moving to walk past Ben, but Ben blocked his way. 

"What were you doing?" Ben didn't trust that Klaus had been using the toilet. He would have just told him to go away straight away, but the fact that there had been no response for around 5 minutes. 

"Toilet. Want to know all about my bowel movement? Are you really that interested." Klaus retorted, pushing Ben a little. "Let me go, I want to go to bed." 

Ben glared at him. "Klaus, I don't believe you, tell me." 

Klaus just shook his head at Ben. "The fucking toilet, I told you." He didn't want to let Ben know what he had done. Ben would be so mad and upset with him. Ben never knew that he used to do that. But it helped, it really did.

Ben stepped back, giving in. "Fine."

Klaus pushed past him, walking to his room with a slight limp. His thigh ached, but it was nice to feel something other than his heart aching. His heart ached too, but the pain in his thigh acted as a slight distraction for what was going on elsewhere.

Ben noticed the limp, he wondered if Klaus had... he wouldn't. He'd never done that, he used drugs when he was feeling down. He didn't hurt himself... unless he did? He followed his brother, beginning to feel upset. He didn't want Klaus to be hurting alone, he wanted to make him feel better.

"Klaus can I come hang out?" He asked as they reached Klaus's door. He noticed the way Klaus faltered in his actions, his shoulders stiffening. "I'd like to hang out." Ben said again after a moment. 

Klaus shook his head a little before speaking, "No.. well, um, I guess you can for a little. But I'm tired." He lied. He just ached all over at this point, everything hurt and he just wanted to sleep forever. Hopefully without the nightmares and the dead that haunted him constantly.

"Okay, I won't push you too hard then." Ben teased a little, trying to lighten Klaus's mood, but Klaus didn't even laugh. He just walked in, getting into his bed.

Ben inhaled slowly and exhaled before walking in too, shutting the door softly. "Want to just talk?" he asked, sitting down on the end of the bed.

Klaus shrugged, "About what?"

"I don't know, anything?" Ben replied, looking at his brother. He looked so broken, he could see it in his eyes. Even if he was trying to make himself seem fine. All these years of being left out and their father treating him horribly. 

Klaus just shrugged again, biting his bottom lip. He looked over at Ben, he didn't know whether to tell Ben how horrible he felt or whether to pretend that he didn't feel like utter shit. It hurt so bad and he just wanted Ben to make it go away. He had wanted to go away, but Ben had come knocking. Suppose he had maybe saved Klaus from making a bad decision. 

Ben sighed, "Klaus, please talk to me. I can see it in your eyes." he said softly, he felt like he needed to protect Klaus. Get him out of this house as soon as they were 18. Not too long.

Klaus let out a small whimper, "I just- I.." he faltered, chewing on his bottom lip for a second. "I'm sick of being alive." He admitted to Ben, hanging his head.

Ben looked at Klaus with sad eyes, "Klaus.. you know that's not a good idea. Don't do that please, I would miss you so much." he moved closer to his brother, gently touching his thigh.

Klaus yelped a little, pulling away. "D-Don't touch that." 

Ben frowned, he knew now what Klaus had done. "Did you.." he questioned, gesturing to his leg. "Because you know what doesn't help anything."

Klaus shrugged a little. "It does sometimes." He muttered in reply, looking away. 

"Do you know how much pain I feel constantly. I'm so lonely.." Klaus sighed, "My heart aches all day, it hurts all the time. It hurts so much not being able to have what you want. Being known as the sibling that everyone hates. The one with a useless power, my power isn't even a power, I feel like it's a disability." Klaus let out a choked sob. 

He was drunk still, but not as much. The pain in his thigh was beginning to sober him up. And so was this chat with Ben. "Ben, it just.. hurts so much. I want everything to be numb. I'm so done. I feel like I'm only really sticking around for you."

Ben gently touched Klaus' arm instead. "Then at least you have one thing to stick around for. Screw everyone else." He told him quietly. "Why does your heart ache?" He asked, hoping Klaus would admit his love again, because after seeing him so broken like this. He just wanted to keep him close and look after him.

"It's your fault!" Klaus shouted, breaking down. "It's always been your fault.."

Ben was taken back by the way Klaus admitted this time. Before it had been in a moment of bliss, this time in a moment of utter despair and so much pain. 

"Klaus.. I didn't, I'm sorry." Ben was sorry, he didn't realise how much pain Klaus had been in everyday. No wonder he had turned to drugs, especially after he had died the first time around.

Klaus shook his head, "It hurts to love someone you can't." He said through tears, "It's wrong, but.. I just.." he didn't know what to say. He just wished Ben would return his love, make him feel better.

"Klaus, I don't know what to say." Ben said quietly, looking down at the bed. He wasn't sure if he returned the love quite as strongly as Klaus. He admitted he was quite infatuated with Klaus, he liked him. He did. Maybe just not love yet.

"I do.. like you, but not love." Ben told him, looking up, feeling terrible at the heartbroken look on his brother's face. "I want to love you, though. I want to leave here with you, go somewhere away from all of this. Then we won't have to worry about all of them. All of this." He repeated. 

Klaus just nodded sadly, "I knew you didn't love me back, I don't think you ever will. I'm hard to love, I don't understand how you could ever even like me." he was slurring his words through his tears. "I'm sorry for loving you Ben."

"Don't ever be sorry for that, Klaus." Ben touched his cheek gently. "Don't you dare apologise for loving someone." 

He leant over gently to a press a soft kiss against Klaus's swollen lips. He felt Klaus kiss back weakly, his own heart began to ache for how upset his brother was. 

"It'll be okay, Klaus. I promise." Ben murmured, pulling Klaus into a gentle hug and letting him sob his broken heart out. 

"I love you, Ben." Klaus cried, gripping onto Ben tightly. 

"I know, I know Klaus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all enjoying this so far? I can't stop writing it, it's so addictive.


	6. Ben's Hoodie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is getting more confident, and Klaus is feeling shy.

Klaus was so good at pretending nothing had happened. He got good at it after years of the abuse from his siblings. Verbal abuse. He pretended the next morning like he hadn't confessed his love to Ben, like he hadn't cut up his thigh in an attempt to make the pain he felt inside physical. 

He was pretending like he was his bubbly self. They all had group training, which of course was always fun. It was English studies, which Klaus personally found difficult but he knew Ben loved it to pieces. He loved reading, he was just so smart. And Klaus, was, well Klaus. Not good for much of anything other than getting high or drunk. 

Klaus sat at his desk in the small room as Pogo spoke to them about some book and the language used inside it. He was leaning against his hands, just watching and listening and doing fuck all else. He guessed he could try, just to make Ben happy, but not for Dad. 

He looked over to Ben with a small smile, he was sitting at the desk beside him. Ben was listening with such intent. He looked so.. hot, cute? Klaus wasn't sure of the word to use. Ben was just fucking amazing, all the words described him- all the good ones of course. 

Klaus just wanted to go back to his room to doodle or something. He could try not getting high or drunk for the day. Maybe Ben would be happy about that, that way he could interact with Ben sober. He could still flirt and fuck about while sober. Maybe just be a little more apprehensive about it. 

Ben could feel Klaus watching him, he didn't pay him any attention though. He was too busy listening to Pogo talking about the book. He had already read it of course, but he still found it interesting to look in more detail rather than for pure enjoyment. 

Sadly, the training finished sooner than Ben was expecting. But that was okay, he had other books to read in his room. No doubt he wouldn't get to read them because Klaus would be too busy bugging him. 

Klaus followed Ben out of the room, all of them were heading back to their own rooms. But Klaus wanted to go to Ben's room. He could hear Allison chatting with Vanya, they got on well now, since they'd gone back. 

Ben looked back at Klaus when they reached his door. "You following me or something?" he teased the other.

Klaus grinned, "Of course, I'm your stalker." 

Ben nodded, "Maybe should start locking my door at night then." He hummed thoughtfully, though he was only teasing Klaus. He wouldn't do that, he wanted Klaus to sneak in and sleep in his bed.

"You wouldn't do that to me." Klaus retorted, shutting the door behind the two of them. "You love me too much." He was acting like yesterday had never happened and Ben wasn't sure if he was okay with that or not. 

"Not sure about that bit." He hummed, sitting at his desk and sorting through his books he had sitting.

Klaus just started rummaging through Ben's wardrobe, looking for a hoodie or something to wear. It would smell like Ben, and he wanted that right now.

"Those are my clothes." Ben informed Klaus, not looking up from his desk. 

"Yeah, but I wanna smell like you." Klaus purred, leaning over to Ben and licking his cheek. "Just cause you're so cute."

Ben yelped, pushing Klaus away a little. "Hey! Don't lick me, weirdo."

Klaus laughed to himself. "I'll lick somewhere else, if you'd like." He offered, winking at Ben when he looked at him.

Ben just shook his head. "I know you want to, but no."

Klaus huffed, pulling a dark blue hoodie on, it was a little too big on him, but he liked it that way. "You're actually so mean. I think you're just frustrated, you gotta let it out sometime." He sat down on the floor by Ben's desk. "Don't you think?"

Ben looked down at Klaus, raising an eyebrow. "No?" He laughed, "I'm not frustrated. I'm fine, not much of a slut like you." He teased, knowing Klaus wouldn't take it personally.

Klaus gasped, feigning hurt. "I can't believe you think I'm a slut!" 

Ben nodded seriously, "Oh you definitely are, too many guys been around you." 

Klaus pouted, leaning over to put his chin on Ben's thigh. "But I just want one guy now, is that cool with you?" He was watching Ben carefully.

Ben just looked at Klaus for a second, "You, my friend, are strange." He ran his fingers through Klaus's knotted hair. "Do you ever brush this?" He asked, frowning as his fingers got caught.

Klaus whined, "Ouch, that hurts. And no I don't. That's not part of my aesthetic."

"And wearing your crushes hoodie with a pair of painfully tight leather trousers are?" He retorted, smirking at the boy in his lap.

Klaus thought for a moment before nodding, Ben removed his fingers from Klaus's hair carefully. "Who said you were my crush, I think you'll find that you are my husband." 

Ben snorted, "I'm glad you think so." He laughed at him. "What are you on today?" 

"Literally nothing, I haven't had anything." Klaus said honestly, moving back to rest on his heels. 

"I'm honestly not sure that I believe you." Ben sighed, pushing his books out the way. "Don't sit on the floor."

"Where am I supposed to sit then?" Klaus frowned, confused. "Your bed is too far away."

Ben pulled Klaus up a little, glad that Klaus actually helped and stood up. "Right here." He pushed his brother down onto his desk. "Sit right here."

Klaus giggled, "Yes sir." He purred.

Ben smiled, "I like this, this is fun." He hummed, resting his hands on Klaus's knees, being careful of the top of his thigh. He hadn't actually seen that yet, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He would let Klaus just deal with that, as long as he didn't add to it.

Klaus nodded, "It is, I like it too. I gotta stop being such a downer." 

Ben's smile dropped a little, "You're allowed to be a downer. Everyone has bad days. But let's make sure today is a good day." He rubbed Klaus's 'clean' leg. 

"Sure, that's a plan." Klaus nodded. "Hey, how long is it till our birthday?" He asked, tilting his head as he looked at Ben.

Ben looked over to his calendar hanging on the wall. "It's.. a month now. So not long, how come?"

"I need to find you the best present." Klaus grinned, "Will need to find something so good, you'll be like holy shit Klaus, I love you."

Ben blushed softly, "I need to do the same then." He hummed, looking up.

Klaus just kept grinning, "You could just give me you and I'd be so happy." 

Ben smiled, "Maybe I'll just do that then."

Klaus nodded, "A long romantic night of making love." He winked.

Ben snorted again, "Yeah right." He laughed at his brother. 

Klaus pouted, "Yes please, that's all I want and if I don't get it... I'll find a way to get the ghosts to haunt you!" He declared.

"Please don't, we will see." Ben stood up, pecking Klaus on the forehead. "I think you probably need a wash again." He washed everyday, made sure he looked perfect, he was such a goody two shoes. The pair of them didn't seem like they should go together so well, but they just did.

Klaus hummed, "Come wash with me. We can shower together. Save water."

"I've already showered." Ben shook his head. "I'll come sit in the bathroom and read if you really want."

"Please, I need you to save me from the spooky ghosts." Klaus laughed, though he was only half joking. 

Ben smiled and just gave in, "Sure honey, can't wait to watch you." He flirted, it was Klaus's turn to blush. His face went bright red, he hadn't expected Ben to actually flirt back like that.

Klaus looked so flustered, it made Ben's heart flutter. He supposed maybe he was beginning to love Klaus how Klaus loved him. Not that he could help it, he was just so darn adorable. 

"Let's go then." Klaus mumbled, smiling to himself as he jumped up. He took the hoodie off and tossed it onto Ben's bed. "That's for after."

Ben didn't even respond, he just followed Klaus through to the bathroom, hoping no one would see them. Lucky for them, everyone else was busy. He could hear Vanya playing the violin, Allison and Luther chatting, Five was quiet, but he always was, and Diego's knives hitting the wall over and over. Practicing.

Klaus turned the shower on, looking at Ben who had perched himself on the toilet- lid closed of course. He stripped off his clothes, looking down at the bandage job he'd done. It was pretty poor, but it needed to come off. Carefully, Klaus removed the dressing, placing it aside before he stepped into the shower.

"Nice ass." Ben called, having only glanced up for a second. 

"Come fuck it then." Klaus retorted, rubbing his hands through his hair, making sure to get it soaked right through.

"Maybe when you're done." Ben laughed to himself. Klaus was so forward sometimes.

Klaus just giggled and grabbed some of Allison's shampoo, deciding to wash his hair properly for once. He sang to himself, quietly, washing his hair and then body. He smelled like Allison now, but he found that funny.

"Quite done?" Ben asked as Klaus stepped out of the shower, very naked. He could see the cuts slashed into his thigh. They didn't look like they would scar too bad. But it still made him sad to see that Klaus had hurt himself.

Klaus nodded, grabbing a towel. He rubbed his hair first before wrapping it around his body. Just his lower body, so his hips. That way he could cover his thigh more. He kind of regretted doing it, because he saw the look in Ben's eyes when he caught sight of it. 

"Let's go sit somewhere else. It's cold in here." Klaus mumbled, unlocking the door and glancing out into the hallway before he left, walking down to his room. Ben followed a couple seconds after, he'd been marking his page. 

Ben stopped by his own room to put the book down and grab the hoodie Klaus wanted to wear. He then closed his door behind him and went to his brother's room. Klaus was busy straightening up his bed. He wanted to fix it.

Ben just shut the door, "Brought my hoodie for you." He hummed, holding it up. 

"Thanks, and I think you'll find that's my hoodie." Klaus giggled, taking it from Ben and then poking him on the nose. "You can have it back when it doesn't smell like you anymore."

A laugh fell from Ben's lips at that, "Okay mister."

Klaus just grinned and set about putting some clothes on again. "What do you wanna do?" he asked, pulling a pair of briefs on under his towel before dropping the towel.

Ben shrugged a little, "I dunno, listen to music?" He suggested, sitting on Klaus's bed. "Make out." He added after a second, he enjoyed the blush that covered Klaus's cheeks at that comment.

Klaus bit his lip, "Could do." He murmured, pulling a pair of jeans on and then the hoodie, not bothering with a top. He rummaged through his cd's before putting one into his player. 

Ben watched him with a fond smile, pulling him onto his lap the second Klaus was close enough. "You're so adorable when you're caught off guard." 

Klaus just smiled, "I guess I am. You're just so hot, all the time." He responded, looking at Ben with hopeful eyes, he was straddling his brother's lap.

Ben hummed in approval. "I'm glad you think so." He could see Klaus was already getting excited just from sitting like this with Ben. 

Klaus couldn't really help himself though. Ben was just wow, fucking amazing. He leant closer to Ben, licking his lips a little. "Am I hot?" He asked.

Ben smirked before he leant in, kissing Klaus roughly, his hands resting on his hips. "Of course." He purred against his little brothers lips. 

Klaus tangled his fingers in Ben's hair, eyes closed. He kissed him back, enjoying the sudden roughness from Ben. He swore he felt something poke at his chest too, something weird..

Ben struggled to get his monster back in control, but he managed. He guessed Klaus was maybe right, he was frustrated and so was his monster. He wondered how interested Klaus would be in being handled by the eldritch. Tentacle porn, technically.


	7. Stars are gorgeous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben fuck about more. Lot's of teasing.

Klaus lay with his head on top of Ben's chest, he'd somehow lost his jeans during their little kissing session. All he had left on now was the hoodie and his very tiny pair of boxers. Ben was missing his top, but he'd kept his jeans on, much to Klaus's disappointment.

Ben stroked Klaus's back, he enjoyed treating Klaus like he was a baby. Of course he wouldn't baby him too much, just enough that it left his brother begging for more. Made Ben feel important. He supposed he'd gotten a little carried away, giving Klaus a handy, but not letting Klaus return the favour. Not yet anyways. 

Klaus hummed a little, opening his eyes to look up at Ben. "I didn't get to touch you." He whined, pouting at Ben. His hand was resting over Ben's tummy, his fingers dancing closer to his crotch. 

"I know." Ben raised an eyebrow, warning Klaus. "Is that an issue?"

Klaus stopped moving his fingers at the small warning he was given, he didn't know why but the tone in Ben's voice caused a shiver to run down his spine. "I.. I just wanted to, return the favour." Klaus said quietly, biting his lip.

Ben nodded a little, "I know, but it's okay." He was a little worried that the eldritch would want to come out to play too if he let Klaus touch him. And he wasn't sure whether Klaus would want that.

Klaus tried to sit up, "But I told you I would lick you." He pouted, managing to push himself up so he was resting on his knees. "I bet I'd be super good." He murmured, trailing his hand closer to Ben's crotch, yet again. 

"Klaus." Ben frowned, "I know you would be good, anything that you do would be good. But.. my.." He paused for a moment, "My monster seems to like you too." He finished.

"Your.." Klaus was confused for a second before he realised. He looked down, noticing that Ben's chest was moving strangely. The tentacles were wanting to escape. "That's okay." He told Ben.

"You're okay with the tentacles touching you?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at Klaus.

Klaus just nodded, opening Ben's button and pulling the zipper down. "I just really want to touch you, please." he begged, he wanted to make him feel good too. It wasn't fair that only Klaus had gotten to feel good. 

Ben sighed, he was excited already. He could feel his dick beginning to pulse. He just nodded at Klaus when he looked up for approval. 

Klaus grinned sheepishly at Ben before he pulling his jeans down and all the way off. Get them out the way. He marvelled at the sight of Ben in his black boxers. Carefully, he traced the outline of his dick, looking up at Ben. 

Ben had his eyes closed, focusing on Klaus's touch, and also attempting to keep the monster at bay. He wasn't quite sure what it would do, as he hadn't really been put in this situation much before.

Klaus eagerly pulled the boxers out of the way, gasping a little as Ben's dick escaped. "Yummy." He hummed, leaning down to press kisses along the underside. He enjoyed the small whine that escaped from Ben's mouth.

Klaus had done this before, many times. He was pretty sure he was good at it, or at least he'd been told he was, so it was all okay. He just hoped it was good enough for Ben. He really didn't want to disappoint him. 

Slowly, Klaus began to lick the swollen head, bringing it into his mouth and then suck gently, moving his head down. He'd done this so many times before, but it felt different. Ben was much more important to him than anyone else. 

Ben wrapped a hand in Klaus's hair, gritting his teeth. He couldn't keep the eldritch at bay any longer. This felt too good. He felt it begin to escape from his chest, only a few tentacles. Not many. He felt them as they snaked around Klaus's body, feeling the curves of his hips and wrapped around his neck, gently squeezing.

Klaus let out a guttural moan, feeling the tentacles wrap around him was so surreal. He didn't feel scared, not at all. Surprisingly, it felt good- they weren't slimy. His breath shuddered as he tried to focus on making Ben feel good. His head sliding up and down, lips tight around his cock. 

"Klaus- fuck." Ben moaned, letting himself relax. He knew the monster wouldn't do anything bad- it was more interested in the sexual activities going on. Maybe would just.. help the process along a bit. Better for Klaus's part.

Klaus could feel them sliding down to his ass, gripping him around the waist and pushing at his briefs. He wasn't opposed to this at all, he was actually quite interested to know what it would feel like. Only issue was- he was not prepared for an ass assault right now.

"Ben.." Klaus whimpered, looking up at his brother. 

Ben opened his eyes when Klaus stopped, he noticed where one of the tentacles had gone and cursed. "Sorry- got carried away." He murmured, stroking Klaus's cheek gently. "It's okay baby."

Klaus leant into the touch and then moved back to what he had been doing previously when his head was guided back. It didn't take long before Ben let loose in his mouth, Klaus swallowed the load happily.

Ben felt the monster returning to his body, it felt almost.. lazy. Maybe this would keep it at bay for quite some time- having been allowed to engage in this activity had worn it out. 

Klaus sighed, resting his cheek against Ben's hip, eyes closed. "Was I good?"

Ben hummed in approval. "Course, honey." He gently stroked Klaus's hair. He looked so adorable in that hoodie, he wished Klaus would dress like that constantly, not that he could really walk around the halls of this house like that.

Klaus smiled to himself, his lips were covered in his spit. He was a bit sloppy, but he didn't care. He just felt like sleeping.

Ben let Klaus drift off to sleep before carefully moving him so he could put his clothes back on. He didn't really want to be caught fully naked, lying in Klaus's bed. He supposed that would not go down well. 

He set about tidying Klaus's room for him. It wasn't too much of a mess, but enough that it was bugging Ben. He liked things to be neat and tidy, organised. He found pictures of him and Klaus as kids in one of the drawers of the desk. They were sitting eating ice cream at the park. 

Ben smiled fondly at the memory, he remembered that day. Pogo had sent them off to practice using a camera, Luther had been the one trusted with it. Ben and Klaus had of course stuck together the whole day, playing together. Simpler times. 

Klaus began to stir, moving around on his bed a little. He let out a loud groan that caught Ben's attention before he sat up. 

"Hey baby." Ben hummed, perching on the bed beside Klaus.

Klaus grinned, "Hey." He leaned over, resting his head on Ben's shoulder. "You're the best, you know that?" He told Ben with a smile.

Ben just laughed, "I'm glad you think so." He told his brother. "I take it you enjoyed the tentacles then?" 

Klaus nodded, moving to look at Ben. "Yeah, it was amazing. We should use them again when I'm more prepared." 

Ben hummed, "Definitely. I want to make you a moaning mess, baby." He purred, kissing Klaus on the cheek and then grinning at the dark red blush that covered his face. "Fucking adorable."

Klaus hid his face, "Shut up, Ben!" He whined, holding his arms in the way. 

Ben attempted to pull Klaus's arms out the way, "Let me see your cute face." 

Klaus shook his head, "You don't deserve to." He giggled.

Ben raised an eyebrow, "You sure? I think I treated you pretty good earlier. You were moaning my name and everything."

Klaus slowly moved his arms, "I guess so." He mumbled, shuffling closer and hugging Ben. He pressed his face against his shoulder, breathing in Ben's scent. "Love you.." he whispered.

Ben rubbed his back, "I know." He wanted to say it back, but he was too scared to.

Klaus didn't mind, he knew Ben sometimes wasn't good at expressing his emotions. He could feel that Ben loved him, he could see it in his eyes. He could feel it in the way Ben held him, how he treated him. It made him feel warm inside, it chased away the dead that usually were hovering nearby. When he was with Ben he felt so safe.

Ben just held Klaus close, he wanted to keep him safe forever. Keep him from having nightmares, make sure the dead never plagued his life when he didn't want them to. Stop their dad from breaking Klaus too much.

"Dinner!" 

Klaus groaned, "Noooooo."

Ben just laughed at his reaction, "Come on, we spent the whole afternoon fucking about. Need to eat. Maybe we can sneak out later." He suggested, trying to coax Klaus into getting off his lap. 

Klaus eventually got up, he grabbed his jeans from the floor where Ben had thrown them earlier. He pulled them on quickly, looking over to Ben who was now waiting at the door. 

"Let's go baby." He winked, grinning at the shy smile that graced Klaus's lips. 

Klaus followed Ben along the hallway to the dinner table. He was glad his dad had dropped the rule of wearing the uniform constantly unless they were going out on missions. It was so damn uncomfortable. His outfit right now was much better.

Ben sat down at the table, Klaus sitting at his own spot. He caught a look from Allison, she had a raised eyebrow. Maybe she had heard- oops.

Ben just smiled at her, beginning to eat in silence. Dinner tonight was a roast chicken, Mom had really pushed the boat out. 

Klaus was scoffing his food. This was one of his favourite meals they got for dinner, except for the carrots. They could get to fuck, he wasn't eating them. He guessed maybe he should stop being picky with his vegetables, Ben always ate his whole plate. He loved vegetables. But Ben was a perfect child- perfectly sexy child. 

Klaus hummed a little as he scooped up some gravy off his plate with his finger. He felt so stuffed now, but it had been so worth it. He was excited to find out where Ben wanted to go later, it would be fun sneaking out with someone else. And not to just go get drugs so he could be fucked out of his mind. 

Dad announced they could leave the table and Klaus was out of the room in a heartbeat. He was walking to his room when someone grabbed his arm. 

"Klaus." Allison stopped him from walking.

"Yeahuh?" Klaus replied, turning round to face her.

"What were you and Ben doing earlier?" She whispered as the rest of them walked past, going into their own rooms to relax after dinner.

"Hanging out?" Klaus shrugged, frowning at her. It was none of her business.

"I could hear stuff." She said after a moment, letting go of his arm.

"Well, I hear you and Luther." Klaus retorted with a scowl. "So what does it matter to you?"

She faltered, seeming lost for words. It took a moment for her to reply, "Don't tell.. and I won't tell on you." 

"I wouldn't tell anyways, I'm not a snitch." Klaus snapped, walking away from her. "And you better not tell about me."

"I won't." Allison said quietly as Klaus disappeared off down the hall. 

Ben was waiting for Klaus in his own room. He'd saw Allison stop him, but didn't want to get dragged into the conversation, so he had snuck past. 

Klaus easily found Ben, "She tried to call me out." He huffed, crossing his arms. "Does she not think I haven't heard her and Luther?"

Ben smirked, "Maybe you should be quieter then, honey." 

Klaus gaped at him, "I am not loud!"

"You so are." Ben retorted, laughing.

"Not my fault." Klaus muttered, looking down at his bare feet.

Ben hummed, "You're just so horny for me."

"Ben shut up!" Klaus whined.

"Okay fine, go get some shoes on and we'll go." Ben gave in, deciding to stop teasing Klaus for the moment. 

Klaus nodded, leaving the room to go and put some socks and shoes on. He stepped out his door to find Ben waiting for him in the hall. So he fell into step beside him, both keeping quiet as they headed for the front door.

"Where are you going, Master Klaus, Master Ben." Pogo spoke, looking down at them from the second floor. 

"Out for a walk?" Klaus shrugged, looking up. "We won't be long."

Pogo thought for a moment before nodding, "Don't get into any trouble." He wouldn't tell Reginald. 

Klaus grinned, "Don't worry, we will." He laughed before dragging Ben out of the house. 

Ben took hold of Klaus's hand as soon as they were walking down the street. "You're so funny." He told him.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

Ben snorted with laughter, "You're too much." He shook his head.

Klaus kissed Ben on the cheek, "You love it though, so it's all good."

Ben nodded, looking both ways before crossing the road with Klaus. "Sure."

Klaus fell quiet, just enjoying being together with Ben. He supposed people probably thought they were odd, walking together and holding hands. Two 17 year old boys.

The two boys soon reached a park, it was quiet and only lit by the street lamps. It was the park they had gone to as kids, to eat ice cream. 

Klaus smiled as he saw the park, "I remember here.." he said, letting go of Ben's hand to run ahead. 

Ben just kept walking, watching Klaus as he ran over to a big open space where the trees didn't cover the sky. Klaus had always been fascinated with the stars, they were so far away yet so pretty. 

Klaus had plopped himself down on the grass by the time Ben reached him, he smiled up at his brother. "I love the dark." He told Ben, though he meant he only liked the dark when it was big and open and he could still see what was going on around him. Not when he was trapped in a big stone building full of the dead.

Ben nodded, "I know, that's why I thought we could come here."

Klaus smiled, leaning in closer to Ben. "I love you." He told him, again. 

Ben responded by gently taking hold of Klaus's chin and pulling him in for a slow kiss. He enjoyed the way Klaus seemed to melt against him. 

Klaus enjoyed the feeling of Ben's lips against his own, his warm hands touching his face. He gripped Ben's jacket, eyes closed, full of warmth and love. He never wanted Ben to leave him.

Ben broke the kiss gently, laying down on the grass. He felt Klaus shift and then lay down too, his head resting on Ben's arm. 

The two lay there, staring at the stars and enjoying the peace and quiet. 

In the midst of the sound of water trickling along the stream Ben whispered a reply to Klaus.

"I love you, Klaus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're enjoying this please leave a comment and Kudos <3


	8. Weed and Scrambled Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus freaks himself out, Ben is worried.

Klaus heard Ben's whisper, his smile grew. He didn't say anything back though, he didn't want Ben to shut down. He just snuggled closer to him, letting out a soft sigh. He never wanted this to end, it was so lovely. Just the two of them, though he felt bad for leaving Diego out. They used to hang out a lot, but then again, Diego hated him right now. Because he was an addict of sorts. 

Ben stroked Klaus's arm, sort of glad he hadn't said anything if he had heard him. He just wanted to let Klaus know that he returned the feeling. He felt like he was really in deep with Klaus, he liked sober Klaus though. He didn't think he would be able to deal with Klaus taking strong drugs again. That would just.. that would be too much for Ben to handle. He couldn't watch as Klaus destroyed himself all over again. 

Klaus stayed silent, gazing at the stars. His mind wandered, thinking about Ben, about them. They hadn't declared that they were anything. They were just in love and had each other. Didn't need anyone else. Klaus just wanted to move out with Ben and get a cute apartment where they could blast their music. He bet Ben would want to go to college to study English. They could try their best to live normal lives away from the whole idea of the academy.

Klaus though, he wasn't sure what he would do with his life. He had the chance to restart again until the apocalypse came. There were so many choices, but it was difficult. He supposed he could learn German. That's where he was from. But then what would he do with a useless language. Nothing. Nothing that he could think of. He could help out at rehab. But then would that just bring back bad memories and tempt him to go back to it?

There was just too much and Klaus was absolutely useless at everything. He wasn't smart like Ben was, his brain didn't work like that. He supposed maybe he could try his hand at art- that could be interesting to dabble in. He just never had the chance at home because of how strict Dad was. Vanya had been the only one allowed to practice violin because she was fucking scary and it was a distraction. 

Klaus could also be a seance, he could try to help people contact their dead family members. But that would only work out if he actually got good at using his powers. If he learned his true capability, but that seemed so daunting and scary he wasn't sure he really wanted to do that. 

"Ready to go back?" Ben asked, his voice cutting through Klaus's over-active mind. He'd been running around in circles in his head. 

Klaus nodded, sitting up. "Yeah, I'm quite tired." He said softly, rubbing his arms a little. He could feel the cold now. He supposed he maybe hadn't dressed appropriately. Should have had a jacket, not just Ben's hoodie. 

Ben smiled at him, pushing himself up to sit. "Must be. It is getting quite late now." He hummed, gently nudging Klaus's arm so he would look at him.

"Hmm?" Klaus tilted his head, looking at Ben before he was pulled into another soft kiss. He didn't think he would ever get tired of this. This was.. pure bliss. Better than any drug Klaus had ever had in his life. 

Ben smiled, gently nibbling on Klaus's lip before he pulled back slowly. "Come on, baby, let's get you home to bed." He stood up, helping his brother up too.

Klaus happily complied, letting Ben pull him up. They then fell into step beside each other, holding hands as they headed back to the academy. He stayed relatively quiet, thinking about the future again. He felt like he had fucked himself over, he was so bad at everything. This was just going to be so difficult. 

Ben was a little worried about how quiet Klaus was being, he wondered if he had said something, or done something wrong. But then maybe Klaus was just thinking, he tended to disassociate a lot, just randomly. He decided not to question it, just holding Klaus's hand and walking with him. He didn't mind the silence, just hoped that Klaus wasn't going to freak himself out.

Klaus let out a small sigh as they reached the gate of the house. His chest felt tight as they stepped through the threshold. This house was the cause of his problems, and the people within it. Mostly Dad, but other's didn't make him feel that good either. He didn't think he wanted to sleep beside Ben tonight, he wanted to be alone. 

Ben had dropped his hand, being careful to be quiet as the two of them walked back to their rooms. Ben turned to Klaus to ask which room they should sleep in. "Where we sleeping?"

Klaus shrugged a little, "Was wanting to sleep alone tonight.." he said slowly, offering a smile to Ben. He knew it was bad to do this the night that Ben admitted he loved him. But he was too in his own head right now, and knew he was going to be up for a while.

Ben faltered a little, a small frown crossing his face. "Uh, okay. That's cool." He said after a moment of silence. His voice was quiet so he didn't wake anyone else. "See you in the morning?" Ben offered.

Klaus nodded, he stepped closer to Ben and looped his arms around his neck. "Goodnight, I love you." He said quietly, hugging Ben tightly.

Ben returned the hug with a small smile, "Goodnight, love you too." He replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Klaus's head. "Don't be up too late."

Klaus pulled back, "I won't." He pressed a quick kiss to Ben's lips before walking to his room. 

Ben grinned to himself and went to his own room, he was quite tired so he just got changed and slipped into bed. He was asleep quite fast, he knew Klaus needed to be alone sometimes, to figure things out. That was okay, he would just talk to him about it in the morning.

Klaus sat on his bed, feeling shaky. He had managed to put up a bit of an act in front of Ben so he thought he was okay. But Klaus was panicking about his future so much. He was worried of what he would become, he knew Ben would do so well, but was such a fuck up. 

"Need a joint." He muttered to himself, fishing out his stuff from under his bed. He still had quite a bit left, but maybe would need to get more soon if he smoked too much tonight. He set about rolling up a joint and sealing it.

"Where's my matches.." Klaus huffed, searching his drawers for them. Eventually he found them, tucked underneath his underwear. He quickly scratched the match along the side of the box, holding the flame to the end of the joint hanging from his lips. 

Klaus waved the match out, chucking it onto his desk before collapsing on his bed, sucking in a drag and then blowing the smoke out. He still felt shaky, waiting for the high to kick in. He hoped it would make him feel better. He didn't like it when his mind was race so much and cause him to think of the worst possible outcomes. He doubted himself too much. 

Soon enough the high kicked in, Klaus had smoked almost the entire joint. He felt so relaxed now, his mind was not focused on his future anymore. All he could think of was dumb shit that made him laugh. What if he had boobs- that would be hilarious.

Klaus had always been tempted by feminine things. He liked makeup, and he liked nail polish. Maybe in the morning he would get some nail polish and makeup, he could try it out. That would be fun. 

It wasn't long before Klaus had finished the joint and passed out on top of his covers, still fully dressed. He was dead to the world, not plagued by ghosts or his own thoughts.

\---

Ben woke the next morning, slightly surprised that Klaus hadn't snuck through during the night and climbed into the bed. But it didn't bother him, he just got up and set about getting ready for the day. He went for his morning shower, locking the bathroom door so no one would walk in on him. 

He didn't take long in the shower, just washed his hair and then dried himself off. He was soon back in his room getting dressed. He put his jeans on and a black button shirt. It looked smart and he liked looking his best. Made him feel more important. 

Klaus still hadn't come through and the bell for breakfast had gone. He knocked on his brother's door, waiting, but got no reply. Strange.

"Klaus? It's breakfast?" Ben called through the door. There was a faint smell of weed coming from his room so Ben opened the door. 

Klaus was passed out still, on his bed. Obviously in quite a deep sleep still. "Klaus, wake up sweetie." Ben shook his arm gently, coaxing his brother into waking up. 

"No." Klaus groaned, turning over and covering his head with his arms. "It's bedtime." 

Ben laughed a little, "It's not bedtime, get up, lazy." He pulled Klaus into a seated position. "Everyone else is waiting to eat breakfast, come on." 

Klaus reluctantly got up, smiling sleepily at the kiss pressed to his forehead. "Okay." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he followed Ben down to the dining room. 

Everyone else was waiting to start eating, so Ben and Klaus took their places quickly.

"Try to be on time, four and six." Their dad scolded before announcing that they could now eat. 

Klaus scooped up the scrambled eggs on his plate, scoffing them. He absolutely loved scrambled eggs, they were the best. So good. There was bacon and toast too, what a good breakfast. One he actually enjoyed.

Soon enough Klaus was finished with his food, he sat back in his chair waiting to be allowed to leave. Maybe he could go talk to Allison about wanting to paint his nails and makeup, she seemed like maybe she would be nice to him. Hopefully. 

Ben finished up his food and then they were all allowed to leave. He rose from the table, heading to his room. He quite wanted to talk to Klaus about the night before, so he caught Klaus when they were in the hallway.

"Hey, I want to talk about last night." Ben told him immediately, looking around before leading him into the lounge. No one else was in there right now. 

Klaus huffed a little, he didn't want to talk about it. "What about it." He mumbled, not looking at Ben and instead playing with his hands.

"Well, you were quiet. So you were thinking about something." Ben pointed out, sitting on the sofa with Klaus. "Talk to me, what was up."

Klaus shrugged, avoiding looking at Ben still. "Dunno, just thinking about the future is all." He frowned.

"Future? What about it?"

"Well, was just thinking like.. what am I going to do. Like I know you'll want to go to college to study English. But I have no clue what I'm going to do, I'm not very good at anything." Klaus shrugged, finally looking up at Ben. He felt awkward admitting this.

"You just haven't found your calling yet, that's all." Ben assured him, taking his hands into his own. "It's okay, I can help you figure out what you could do. There will definitely be something, and I know you're going to be so good at it." He smiled at his little brother.

Klaus nodded a little, he didn't want to argue with Ben. He pretended like that had made him feel better. "Thanks Ben.. It would be good to have some help." He said softly.

Ben nodded back, "it will be good. Don't you worry honey. Everything will be just fine." 

Klaus smiled a little, he shuffled closer and gave Ben a hug, hiding his face in his shoulder. "Okay, I believe you." But all Klaus could think about was smoking weed so he was high out of his mind again. The high was so good, he kept forgetting how relaxed it made him feel. 

Sorry Ben, Klaus thought. He knew he was going to disappoint him, but he couldn't help it. It was all he knew how to do- disappoint people close to him. And Ben was all he had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, not very sure where to go with Klaus's future for this book. Will need to have a think- suggestions welcome <3


	9. Black Liner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus likes makeup, Ben likes the makeup on Klaus.

Klaus and Ben decided to get on with some personal work. Well, more Ben wanted to study because he was quite set on getting into college. To study English specifically- he could be a teacher for English, that would be so exciting.

Klaus had let Ben go to get on with that, and in the meantime he decided to go and annoy Allison. He wanted to have more friends than just Ben because it was quite lonely. 

Klaus knocked on the door of Allison's room, pushing the door open when she said to come in.

"Klaus, what's up?" She asked, a little confused that he'd come to see her, they never hung out. Ever.

"Just wanted to.. catch up?" Klaus suggested awkwardly. He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers getting stuck. He quickly tugged them out of his hair, leaving it knotted. "I think.. I don't know."

Allison was a little confused, but she offered him a small smile. "Yeah sure, come in."

Klaus walked in, shutting the door. He plopped himself down on Allison's bed. "So, I wanted to tell you something."

Allison tilted her head, "Yes?"

"Well, I like.. feminine things. As you know, I used to steal your clothes all the time. Remember when I fell down the stairs in your heels..."

Allison nodded with a small laugh,. "That was the quietist you've ever been."

Klaus grinned, "Yeah it was. But I've been thinking, I quite want to learn how to do makeup and I want to paint my nails."

Allison smiled, that would be fun. Vanya was never one for makeup or any of that. Thank god for sending her a feminine brother. "Sure, that would be cool." She told Klaus.

Klaus smiled, "I'm glad you don't think it's weird.." he laughed.

"Not at all. Here, what colour do you want your nails painted? I'll paint them for you right now." Allison offered, pulling out her bag of nail polish. She emptied it onto her desk.

Klaus had a look through all the different colours, but he wanted black. He picked up a black bottle. "This."

Allison smiled, not surprised at all by his colour choice. "Okay, come sit and I'll paint them."

Klaus sat still, just gossiping with Allison as she painted his nails. He was surprised at how well he actually got on with her. Maybe he should have tried this earlier rather than isolating himself from the entire family. 

He wasn't sure that he'd get on with any of the others though. He had Ben and Allison. Diego was cute, but definitely straight and he had Ben. He wasn't sure that Diego would even want to talk to Klaus. Maybe he was against what Klaus liked, he didn't know.

Allison soon finished painting Klaus' nails. He actually kept them a nice length, she had half expected them to be bitten. Only because she knew the trauma Klaus had gone through, and how much he struggled sometimes. 

"There. Like them?" She asked, watching the way Klaus held his hands up, examining the neat job Allison had done. 

"Love them." He grinned, winking at her.

Allison laughed at him, "Just don't touch anything for a while. They're drying." She chided, getting up. She started to clear the nail polish away. "What kind of makeup were you wanting?" She questioned, her back to Klaus.

Klaus hummed for a second, "Not a lot. Don't wanna look girly. Just, like, edgy." He chewed his lip for a second. "Eyeliner? Mascara?" He suggested.

Allison nodded, "Sounds like an idea. I think if you want an edgy look, gel liner would be better than liquid." She advised, excited at this whole idea. "This is so great, it's like having another sister." She joked.

Klaus laughed, "I basically am." He hummed, "I'm extra feminine and I like dudes. Currently hooking up with one." 

Allison smiled, turning around. She leant on her desk, "How did that happen?"

Klaus shrugged, "Dunno, just kind of did. Guess same as you and Luther. But like, it doesn't feel weird because I feel like even though we are kind of family that we aren't at the same time?" Klaus hummed thoughtfully. "Like we basically live in some sort of boarding School." 

Allison nodded, "I totally get that. I agree, I don't feel like a family at all. We're like a tag team. But we haven't been on a mission for a little while now."

Klaus smiled, "I'm glad we haven't. I don't like them, they freak me out and I'm not much use."

Allison laughed, "Your powers just aren't suited to fighting bad guys. Who knows, maybe you can do more and just don't realise it yet?"

Klaus made a noise of approval, looking at his nails again. He really liked this, having painted nails. Made him feel more himself. This wasn't the way it had happened last time, but this way was much better. He didn't even want to think about those nights where he'd had to sell his body.

Allison picked up some gel liner she hadn't used yet, and some mascara. "Here, you can have these. It's pretty self explanatory how to use them."

Klaus gingerly took them from her, still being careful of his nails. "Thanks, best sister." He teased standing up. "I'll leave you to do work, or something. I'm gonna fuck about with these." And with that he left the room, going back to his own. 

He sat at his desk, getting a little mirror and putting it in front of him. He opened the liner, looking at it for a moment before beginning to smudge it around his eyes. He quite enjoyed the look of smudged liner, made him look extra edgy. And that was of course his aesthetic. Other than stolen clothes.

Klaus hummed to himself, grinning at his reflection. He felt he looked so much better with this makeup on. He hoped Ben would like it. His nails were dry too now, he could touch stuff and not have to worry about maybe catching them. 

Klaus decided to go and annoy Ben, he was bored now. He didn't even knock on the door, he just swung it open causing Ben to flinch. "Klaus!" He yelped.

Klaus giggled, "Hey!" He all but threw himself onto Ben's bed. Ben was of course at his desk. 

Ben finished writing down the rest of his sentence before turning to look at Klaus. "What- oh, hi." He smiled a little, looking over him. "Makeup and nail polish?" He questioned.

Klaus just nodded, "Like it?"

Ben smirked, "Yes, I do." He purred a little, liking how Klaus's cheeks turned red. "You're so submissive, y'know that?"

Klaus huffed at him, "Am not."

Ben raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?" He stood up, moving to shut his door properly. Klaus had left it sitting open. He then advanced to the bed, standing over Klaus. 

Klaus shrunk a little, not because he was scared, but because he felt like he had to show respect in Ben's presence. He nodded again, still being defiant in a way.

Ben shook his head, "I don't think so, sweetie." He grabbed a hold of Klaus's chin, pulling him up a bit into an uncomfortable position. Klaus just let it happen, feeling weak in the knees from this attention. 

Ben smirked, looking into Klaus's eyes before he pressed a kiss to his lips, only then letting go of his chin. 

Klaus whimpered gently, grabbing a hold of Ben's hoodie and trying to pull him closer. 

Ben pulled back, "Uh-uh." He stroked Klaus's hair before moving back to his desk and sitting in his chair. He wanted to tease Klaus, he looked sexy with that makeup and nailpolish. 

Klaus just pouted, sitting with his back against the headboard, watching Ben. He played with his fingers, he'd gotten a little excited. But he tried to ignore it, wanting to be good for Ben- but he didn't know why. 

Ben started making more notes again, ignoring Four. He had been busy before Klaus had come in, although he felt bad leaving him sitting on the bed like that. "Come sit on the floor beside me."

Klaus immediately scrambled to get off the bed, he sat himself by Ben's feet, looking up at him adoringly. He trusted Ben to take care of him. 

Ben looked down, he gently stroked Klaus's cheek, smiling at him gently. Then started writing notes again. He was determined to get into college. 

Klaus stayed quiet, just listening to Ben write. He didn't want to disturb him, so he closed his eyes. Slowly, falling asleep.

Ben noticed after a while that Klaus had fallen asleep beside him. He decided to finish up doing his work. He could do more tomorrow, it would be fine. Plus he felt pretty confident anyways, he was sure it would be fine. 

Ben carefully moved, standing up. He lifted Klaus and lay him on the bed, deciding he should play with him for a bit. 

He began to gently trace the outline of Klaus's dick through his leather trousers. He wasn't applying much pressure, and the leather was probably muffling it too. He needed them off. Careful not to wake Klaus, he pulled them down, out of his way. 

Klaus just shifted a little in his sleep, not waking up yet. 

Ben smirked to himself, admiring the small underwear Klaus was wearing. Black instead of a random print for once. He began to palm Klaus, pressing kisses to his neck. He nibbled a little, not being very careful about leaving bruises. He wasn't bothered, everyone would assume Klaus had been out somewhere. 

Klaus let out a moan in his sleep, possibly beginning to wake up so Ben slowed down his actions, though he moved his hand underneath the fabric, beginning to stroke Klaus's shaft slowly. He enjoyed the way Klaus shuddered at the touch.

"Ben.." he whimpered, still sounding like he was asleep. Ben was glad that he was influencing Klaus like this, it was so much fun to toy with him. 

He began to speed up his strokes, moving the underwear out of his way so he had more room. He slid his thumb over the slit, enjoying the gasp as Klaus woke up from that touch. 

"Ben." Klaus groaned, gripping onto his arm, his legs shaking from the attention. 

Ben hummed, "I've got you baby, I'm taking care of you." 

Klaus let his head fall back again, soft moans leaving his lips as Ben peppered more kisses along his neck, then stopping to suck harshly, his hand twisting around Klaus's cock. 

Ben could feel Klaus struggling to keep quiet, he moved down, pressing a kiss to the top of Klaus's dick, then taking the head between his lips, sucking softly. 

Klaus's hips jerked up from the unexpected feeling, "Oh god- Ben." he gasped. "Please more- please.."

Ben happily complied, sliding his lips down the shaft, his tongue laying flat against the underside. He bobbed his head slowly, gradually speeding up before taking Klaus all the way in. 

"Shit!" Klaus let out a loud moan, feeling Ben swallow around him. He felt like he was going to explode any second. He had no self control. He attempted to rut his hips up, but was held down by Ben's spare arm. 

"Ben please, oh fuck.." he whimpered, gripping the bedsheets. "I need to- need to come.." 

Ben hummed around Klaus' sucking the head again before he began to messily bob his head up and down, faster. There was saliva spilling down the sides of Klaus's dick, he was making such a mess. Ben gripped the bottom of the shaft, squeezing and then moving it in time with his head. 

"Ben!" Klaus moaned his name, legs shaking hard as he let loose in Ben's mouth. His chest heaved as he came down from the high, biting his lip. He felt so spent. 

Ben smirked, keeping Klaus's load in his mouth. He moved back up so he was face to face with Klaus, pulling him into a kiss. He shared the load between them both, forcing Klaus to taste himself. 

Klaus thought this was so good though, he felt so loved. Ben was amazing, he gripped his arms. Eyes closed as he kissed Ben back, finding the taste of himself on Ben's tongue incredibly hot. 

Ben slowly pulled back after a moment, he swallowed what was left in his mouth. "You're so sexy baby. Such a good boy." He purred, enjoying the smile that lit up Klaus's face beneath him. 

"So good." Ben repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pointless doing bits of course.


	10. Potato and Leek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus falls deeper into submission.

Klaus had spent the day shut in his room, drawing and sketching. Ben had told him that he really needed to get work done, so he didn't want Klaus bothering him. He hadn't meant it in a bad way at all, it was okay. Klaus just had to busy himself with something other than Ben. 

Perhaps it was maybe unhealthy to be so obsessed with the feelings that Ben gave him when he was near. His heart always fell like it was in his throat, he felt on edge. It was the strangest feeling, yet it made him feel calm at the same time. He knew Ben would never hurt him. 

He was thinking that he would quite like going to study art. Art was quite big right now, but he also felt like that would be hard to work with for a job. Especially when he wasn't very up to date on all the technology. 'Dad' had never let them use technology, it was weird. Like he hated the idea of it. 

He could get a job somewhere- that way he could make money and then he could try and buy one of the many extremely expensive pieces of technology. He always saw other people with them, and he felt so out of the loop. 

Klaus didn't know where he would get a job though. He had no skills, he was homeschooled. He could maybe try to get a job in a shop, or something... but it all seemed so daunting. Scary. 

"Klaus?" Allison's voice cut through his thoughts. 

"Yeah?" He turned round, looking at his door where his sister was standing. 

"It's lunch time, Dad isn't joining us, but Mom made soup." 

Klaus just nodded a little, he shut his sketchbook and stood up. He just followed Allison out of his room and down the hall. He found it strange how Ben had never come to get him, but it was okay. Maybe he was stressed or something. 

He took his seat at the table, pulling at the threads on his sweater. Some of them were chatting, quietly. Dad could maybe still hear them, even though he wasn't joining them. He just stayed silent, sipping on his soup. It was one of his favourite meals. 

Potato and Leek soup. 

Klaus glanced up at Ben, he was talking to Five. He seemed deep in conversation, so he didn't try to interrupt. He felt so odd right then, he wasn't sure what had come over him. His mood was.. he just felt empty. 

He just wanted Ben to cuddle him and make him feel better, tell him what to do.. what to think. Help him with everything so he didn't have to try and guide himself through life. He was terrified that he was hurtling towards the same fate that had happened before. 

Klaus soon finished his soup, he didn't ask for seconds like he normally did when they had this. He just left and went straight to his room, not speaking to anyone. Not even Ben.

As soon as he entered his room, the door was pushed shut. He felt like tearing his hair out, he hated this feeling. He felt like he needed Ben, but he couldn't bother him. He didn't want to be a nuisance. 

Instead he settled for putting on a record and going back to sketching, to distract his mind. He almost felt like there was cold air settling around him. The dead.

Klaus tried his best not to focus on it, but soon enough he couldn't take it anymore. The music wasn't blocking it out and he could feel a cold chill throughout his whole body. 

"Ben?" He asked, his voice sounding pathetic as he pushed on the door gently, looking round the corner at the boy he loved with his whole being. 

Ben turned round immediately at the tone of Klaus's voice. He'd thought he seemed off at lunch, but he hadn't gone after Klaus when he saw him shut the door. 

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked, voice hushed.

Klaus sniffed, "I.. they were there." was all he could say.

Ben stood up, pulling Klaus into a hug. "You're okay, focus on me." He told him gently, somehow knowing just what to say to calm Klaus's nerves. He was glad that he had come to him instead of turning to weed or trying to find some other drug. 

Klaus hid his face in Ben's chest, breathing in deeply, his arms round Ben. He could feel himself beginning to calm down just from Ben's presence and the hug was helping that enormously. He didn't speak, just held onto him. 

Ben felt so sorry for Klaus, it seemed as though his powers were just a burden. He just needed to help him to get control of them, then it would be okay. Then Klaus would be much better- he just always seemed so broken. Ben needed to put him back together and heal the broken parts. 

He slowly moved them to the bed, having kicked the door shut. Ben sat them both down, stroking the smaller boys hair. "I've got you sweetie." He murmured, feeling Klaus relaxing against him. 

Klaus felt the feeling of emptiness leaving him, a warm glow filling his chest instead. "Thank you, Ben." He whispered after a moment of silence.

"Don't need to thank me, whenever you feel like that, just come see me." Ben told him.

Klaus nodded a little, pulling back from the hug slowly so he could look at Ben's face.

Ben smiled at him, it was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry." Klaus mumbled, he looked down into his lap.

Ben gently stroked Klaus's cheek, "Look at me, baby."

Klaus lifted his head slowly, his eyes soon closed as Ben brushed their lips together. He shuffled closer, wanting more of the touch. He liked this innocent kissing. 

Ben gently held the back of Klaus' neck, adding a little more pressure to the kiss. He kept it light, he just wanted Klaus to feel safe. Safe with him. He needed to make sure Klaus felt happy. 

Klaus felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest, he felt so loved. This feeling was incomparable. Drugs had nothing on the feelings that Ben gave him, drugs did nothing good. Ben made him feel like the most important person in the world. 

Ben slowly pulled back after a moment, grinning at the blush spread across the other boys cheeks. "You are so beautiful." He told Klaus, meaning every word.

Klaus's blush deepened as he looked at Ben. Eyeliner smudged round his eyes, lashes tinted black and curled. He felt pretty, he felt beautiful. Being around Ben made him feel whole.

"I love you, I really do." Ben told Klaus, enjoying the way he had seemed to make Klaus nonverbal. He was silent, his face ablaze. 

Klaus nodded, choking out an "I love you too." around the lump in his throat. 

"It'll all be okay sweetheart, I can't wait for our future." Ben traced the outline of Klaus's lips with his finger, enjoying the slight tremble. 

Klaus stayed silent, and tried his best to stay still. Ben's presence was so overwhelming, he didn't know what to do with himself. 

Ben smirked, he had made Klaus a submissive, emotional mess from barely doing anything. He liked how he had so much power over how Klaus would act and feel. It was such a big responsibility, but one he was definitely willing to take on. 

"Good boy."

"Yes, sir." Klaus mumbled, without even thinking. His mind felt like it was far away. All he could feel was the touch of Ben's finger on his lips. Warmth radiating from that specific place. 

Ben raised an eyebrow at the name, but didn't question it. He had a few ideas for other names that he wanted Klaus to call him, but he was sure he would be able to easily coax him into saying it without asking. 

"Such a good baby." Ben hummed, pressing another kiss to Klaus's lips. This one much harder than the last. He could feel Them coming alive beneath his chest. 

Klaus melted against Ben, he couldn't think, felt like he couldn't breathe. His entire being was focused on the touch between the two of them, the feeling of Them slowly touching his legs. He wouldn't give up this feeling for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't mean to leave such a big gap between updates, but here you go.


	11. Comic Book Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is feeling on edge, he is too impulsive and Ben is not happy.

Klaus felt like he was in a far away cloud. Ben made him feel so high and out of his mind. He felt like he wasn't really all there.

Klaus currently was sitting on Ben's bed sketching in a book while Ben was sitting reading at his desk. He liked this kind of quiet feeling, made him feel relaxed, at ease. Though Ben made him feel at ease anyways, so it just emphasised the feeling of being relaxed. The sound of his pencil scratching against the page and then Ben's fingers turning the page of his book every so often.

Ben glanced over to Klaus. He liked how peaceful he looked, but also silly. His tongue was poking out from his lips as he focused on whatever he was drawing. His hair was a mess too, sticking up in all directions from their earlier activities.

Klaus wasn't paying much attention at all to Ben. He was much too busy focusing on his drawing that he was doing.. of Ben, of course. Most of his sketchbooks were full of random drawings. He also enjoyed comics, so some of his drawings were comic strips of random characters he had made up. He just enjoyed being creative whereas Ben was much more academically inclined. 

Klaus supposed he really should consider getting a job soon. They would be attempting to move out soon and that meant they needed money to get somewhere to live. He wanted to be helpful for Ben, didn't want him to be the one supporting Klaus. He didn't want to seem like a burden.

He realised now that he was coming down from his high state of mind, his mind was racing. He really didn't enjoy his seemingly constant state of anxiety. That was why he enjoyed the drugs he used to take so much, they helped to calm his racing mind as well as keep out the ghosts. 

This very moment, all the seance could focus on was the need for something to calm him down. He could always try to casually talk to Ben, but he really honestly would rather take something. 

"I'll be back, gotta pee." Klaus announced to his.. lover? Ben. 

Ben just looked up and nodded, "Okay, see you soon." He hummed before turning back to his book- not realising from Klaus's seemingly frantic movements what he was really going to do. 

Klaus shuffled out of the room before moving into a quick pace, entering his own room. He shut the door quietly behind himself before fishing out a joint from his drawer. He had a feeling he was going to start wanting something more than weed eventually. Maybe coke, that was always a fun ride till he started coming down. 

The joint was lit within seconds and Klaus was desperately sucking on the end of it. Blowing out puffs through his nose and around the J. It took quite a few tokes before he began to feel his mind calming down, becoming almost empty. 

He decided after he had around half the joint to stub it out and put it away for use on a later date. It felt so much better to not be himself, he felt much more at peace this way. He just hoped Ben wouldn't find out if he began to take stronger things than just weed. He felt like Ben would probably not want him around if he was like that. He had been mad enough but unable to stop him before. This time he could really do something about it though. 

Slowly, Klaus made his way back to Ben's room, hoping he didn't smell like weed and that the smell hadn't travelled with him. He let himself in, fingers slipping off the door handle after he'd turned it. A foot kicked the door open and then shut again as Klaus walked inside, soon collapsing on the bed to continue with his drawing. 

Ben looked over to Klaus when he came back in, noticing he seemed quite relaxed but didn't comment on it. Nor did he comment on the amount of time it had taken Klaus to 'go pee'. He would just leave it, he didn't want to ruin the nice atmosphere that had been happening before. Of course he wasn't too happy about it, but he couldn't do much. 

Klaus looked up at Ben and smiled lazily, "How far through your book are you?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. 

Ben chewed on his lip, examining his book for a second, "About three quarters through." He told Klaus.

Klaus just nodded, "Cool. I'm just drawing and stuff." 

Ben didn't reply, he just went back to reading his book. Except he wasn't reading it, he was too busy thinking about what to do about Klaus. He didn't want him getting back into heavy drugs, and he was worried that he would definitely be tempted if he was doing weed a lot. And he could tell he had been smoking weed. 

He honestly didn't know if he could deal with Klaus being that into drugs again. It had hurt him enough watching the first time around, and surely Klaus would have realised how stupid it was after what had already happened. He should have learned his lesson by now. 

Klaus huffed a little when he realised Ben wasn't wanting to talk to him right now. He stood up, grabbing his things and left the room. He felt his heart ache when Ben didn't even try to stop him from going or ask him where he was off to. 

Ben couldn't be bothered to deal with Klaus's attitude right now. Once he was finished acting off, he would speak to him again. If Klaus was going to go in a huff, that was just fine. As long as he didn't do anything stupid. 

Klaus threw his sketchbook at his wall when he got back into his room, letting it fall onto the floor, open on a page of Ben reading a book. He hissed at the page before falling onto his bed and letting out a long breath in an attempt to calm himself down. 

He knew that weed sometimes made him get quite upset if something happened when he was high. But this time around, he really couldn't help the heavy feeling in his heart, the itching and burning of his skin. This was such a horrible feeling, and he knew why Ben wasn't talking to him. 

Ben wasn't talking to him because he was high, because he had smoked weed; because he had lied. But Klaus didn't want to talk about his racing mind, his anxiety, to Ben. He didn't want to let him know of all the awful thoughts that tended to run through his head at a million miles an hour. The whispering of ghosts in his ears telling him he would never be good enough. 

He needed to get out of the house, he couldn't be there right now. It was just all too much for him. He shoved a pair of docs on and grabbed some cash out of his desk drawer and stumbled out of his room. Heading for the front door. 

"Klaus? Where you going?" He heard Allison call from the balcony as he raced down the stairs. 

"Nowhere." He retorted, his voice breaking but he just hurried along and pushed his way through the doors, taking off down the street. 

The weed was wearing off already, his terrible mood was killing the feeling. Tears began to make their way down his cheeks, his breathing ragged. This was all just because Ben was not happy with him, he couldn't believe how much he depended on Ben. It made him feel so weak.

He wanted to distance himself, he wanted to run away. He was too terrified to be apart of the family. What if his and Ben's relationship got out and the rest discovered it. What would everyone think? Would they hate him because he was gay- or because he had turned Ben gay?

Nothing was going to work out okay and Klaus wasn't okay with that. If he removed himself from the situation maybe it would be better for everyone else. He would just never go back... they'd be way fucking better off without him. 

His only problem was that he knew no one else. He was going to have to slum it out on the streets- try and get a job. Try his best not to spend the money he had on drugs or drink. He was still only 17. He wasn't 18 yet and he wasn't sure if anyone would take him in for work. 

"Fuck my life." Klaus whispered, tugging on his sleeves- the sleeves of Ben's hoodie. He supposed he could keep this.. just until he felt like he could return. He felt achey all over, it was hot outside but he felt cold. His bones felt cold, he could feel the dead all around him but he was avoiding looking at them. There were too many dead by the road.

Too many with arms missing, hanging off, heads barely attached. The sight made his anxiety flare even more than it already had been.

"I can't do this." He mumbled, shuffling along the pavement in search of somewhere with a sign in the window. "Who would even take me in.. I have no life skills."

It wasn't long before Klaus came across a small comic book shop with a hiring sign in the window. He knew he, well, the Hargreeves had their own comic book. Maybe they would love to have him working there. 

He pushed the door open, looking around at the surprisingly clean shop. It was nice inside. Maybe this could work, he could try his best to make it work.

"Hey, I was wondering if you had a job opening?" Klaus questioned, doing his best to compose himself. He was sure he had smudged mascara all around his eyes, but at this point he didn't care. It could be part of his strange fashion sense he supposed.

"Yeah, we do." A voice replied from behind the desk. "Come tell me a bit about yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I was getting annoyed with how fluffy it was, so I wanted to shake it up a bit. More drama.


	12. Giggles and Coke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus has been gone for quite some time. This time has not been good for him.

It had been weeks since Klaus had deserted the house. Random pieces from his room had been disappearing in the middle of the night too. No one had any clue where he was, it was like he'd become a ghost. 

Ben felt... depressed. He knew it was technically his fault that Klaus had left, but really. It was a bit of an overreaction to him not being happy that Klaus had smoked weed. Silent treatment was really not that big of a deal. So he was also angry that Klaus had decided to just leave. 

He hadn't even come and spoken to Ben to tell him why he was going. He had just all of a sudden left. Allison had revealed she saw him leaving, and his response to where was he going was 'nowhere'. And apparently he had seemed quite upset. Of course Ben never let anyone know the reason he thought that Klaus was upset.

So everyone was left in the dark about his whereabouts. They'd been out looking, and tried to file a missing person report but the police weren't very interested. They were too busy with other things to be looking for some 17 year old gay junkie. 

Klaus of course was not taking care of himself at all. He got the job in the comic book shop, the owner had been quite impressed that he had been a character from The Umbrella Academy. He was crashing in some random dudes apartment that he had met. The guy was quite a bit older than him, but he just let Klaus stay on the sofa.

Klaus felt like the guy probably wanted more from him than just some money for rent every week but he wouldn't give in. He did miss Ben. He missed Ben a lot, but the coke he snorted off the table everyday pushed all those thoughts away. So he forgot all about his family, his life back at the academy. 

He was quickly becoming hooked on the white powder, he hadn't forgotten how easy it was to get hooked on it, but he didn't care much by this point. He wasn't actually even totally sure that he had not been taken advantage of while he was high out of his mind. He guessed he maybe wouldn't be very comfortable with it if he found out he had.. but if he pushed the thoughts out his mind it would be okay. 

Klaus currently was sat behind the counter in the shop, his jacket pockets were full of little bags of his new favourite fix. He was itching to do another line, or maybe 2. He had been trying to busy himself by reading the comic books around the shop. 

The shop was never that busy either.. so he supposed it wouldn't really be an issue if he locked the door, dashed to the bathroom to do a couple lines. No one would realise, it would be okay.

So that's just what he did.

He keyed the two lines fast- his heartbeat beginning to race as soon as it kicked in. His pupils dilating. This felt so good, his skin stopped itching. He was sure he had scratches up and down his arms from the ups and downs. That's why he almost always wore a jacket now. He didn't want people to see his arms.

But it was also much easier to steal stuff from shops, all the pockets were amazing. He'd stolen the jacket too, found it in a charity shop and had quickly snagged it, not paying a dime for it. He needed the money to feed his drug habit. He wasn't addicted, he just enjoyed it.

That's what he kept telling himself. Not addicted. Not at all. 

The bell for the shop dinged as someone entered, he peered up at the visitor over his book that he was attempting to read. The coke had made him too hyper to be able to focus all that well. 

The guest was a young, geeky looking man. He greeted him with a small, awkward smile before turning to look at the many rows of comics stacked on shelves and tables. 

Klaus payed him no mind, trying to keep himself from giggling at the Venom comic he was invested in at the moment. He kept re reading the same page, still finding the outcome funny every time he read it.

He loved his reaction to coke. He hoped he could stay hooked up with this good shit for a while. It made him feel fucking amazing. 

"Hey." The guy placed some books down on the counter, eyeing Klaus warily.

Klaus put his comic over to the side, out of the way. "Sup." He hummed, grinning at the dude as he started to ring him up.

"Aren't you that guy from The Umbrella Academy?" The dude asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Umbrella Academy?" Klaus questioned, the words seeming foreign for a moment before it registered. "Oh that! Yeah I guess I am." He laughed, pushing his hair out of his eyes so he could look at the amount that needed to be paid. "That'll be... $20." 

"Sure." He fished out a 20, handing it over. "I think there's people looking for you, seen posters up about the streets." He informed Klaus.

Klaus looked up, tilting his head. "Do you know if they're good or bad people? I don't really wanna run into whoever this is if they have intentions of decapitating me. Know what I mean?" He grinned. The coke was really messing with his head, but he found it hilarious. 

The guy seemed confused by his weird behaviour. "I think it's the rest of the academy." He picked up his books. "They seem worried. Maybe you should get in touch with them before they get the police involved." And with that last comment, he left. Leaving Klaus alone with his thoughts. 

Ben was on yet another one of his walks through the town, searching everywhere for a sign of Klaus. A sign of the boy who he had seemingly scared away. He was so angry, yet beginning to feel hopeless and lost. It had been so long and Klaus had never been one for being strong. It was quite possible that the boy was dead.

"Klaus... where are you." Ben sighed, tracing his finger over one of the posters he'd attached to a lamppost. "Just come home, I'm sorry for whatever I did." He whispered. 

All he could feel was a heavy feeling in his chest and a numbness in the rest of his body. Even They were staying silent, They weren't bothering him at this time. He was glad about that though, he'd learned to control them better. They were getting along better, learning to share his body. 

Klaus was just locked up the comic book shop, ready to head back to that mans flat that he'd been shacking up with. He pulled the keys out the lock and shoved them into his tight jean pocket. "Fucking sharp." he muttered and then let out a giggle.

Ben heard a giggle from down the street that sounded strangely familiar. "Klaus?" He gasped, his heartbeat quickening. "Klaus!" He began to pace quickly down the street, hoping his brother would reply.

Klaus heard a voice that sounded familiar to him. "Who?" He questioned aloud, turning his blurry, dilated eyes to look around at the street around him. He felt confused till he saw a figure running towards him that he definitely recognised. 

"Klaus!" Ben grabbed a hold of his arms when he reached him before pulling him into a tight hug which was returned after a moments hesitation.

Klaus realised it was Ben. Ben who he was madly in love with. Who he had left due to his racing mind and heavy anxiety. Something that he was quite obviously still struggling with. "Ben?" He asked after a moment. 

"Oh my god Klaus." Ben pulled back, looking at his brother. He was skinnier than before, and he looked a mess. A bit wild too. "Don't you ever fucking dare do that again." He scolded him.

Klaus let out a giggle, "Do what?"

Ben realised that Klaus was on something at that point. He noticed the dilated pupils, the shakiness in his stance. He felt himself deflate slightly before he gathered himself again. "Don't fucking run off and desert me again. Don't leave for weeks on end- it's been over a month!" 

Klaus flinched back from Ben's tone, despite the high he was on. He didn't speak, he stayed quiet. He could feel emotions bubbling up inside him, trying to push past the heaviness on his shoulders. 

"I thought you were dead Klaus." Ben growled. He let out a breath, turning away from him for a second before he looked again. "Come home."

Klaus began to shake his head. "You don't want me to." He whispered, scratching at his arms under his jacket. "I.. I'm bad. You get mad at me because I'm such a fuck up. I won't amount to anything Ben. You don't need me around, I'll just hold you back."

Ben gazed at Klaus in disbelief. "You cannot be serious right now." He sighed softly. "Klaus, I want you in my life, you're not a fuck up. You just need some help, and I can help you. I can also help you to get professional help if you need it. And I will assist you in becoming what you dream to be. I promise." He gently pulled Klaus's arms away from the other. 

Klaus allowed Ben to do this, feeling himself well up with tears. "I'm sorry." He pushed his face against his shoulder, trying to keep in the sobs wanting to escape. 

Ben held him close, "It's okay, just come home Klaus."

Klaus nodded a little against him, "Okay.." he gave in. 

Ben slowly led Klaus home, not bothering to make him walk any faster than he wanted to. He was determined to get Klaus off of these drugs. Keep the addiction at bay and help him through it. He would rather he turned to other means of handling whatever was making him want to take things. 

Klaus felt so sorry about what had happened, he was going to keep his job though. He felt it gave him a purpose, even though he fucked about a lot during his shifts. He supposed maybe he shouldn't have up and disappeared from home. It just meant that he would have to slowly recover his things from the other apartment. 

He couldn't let Ben know about what he'd been doing this past month. He would definitely not be happy at all. He'd be so disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just means when I next write I can make it more angsty and add problems due to the month time jump. How exciting. Hope you guys are really enjoying this and I really appreciate every comment and kudos left on this piece of work!


	13. Coming Down

Klaus hadn't really been given a welcome wagon when he returned. Five was indifferent, he wasn't that bothered by the disappearance of Klaus in the first place. Vanya had been a little worried, but didn't say much else than 'I'm glad you're home'. Luther hadn't even spoken to him, he ignored the fact that he was back. But maybe that was because Klaus was quite obviously fucked when he got back.

Allison had given him a hug though. She had been very worried about him- their friendship had only just begun to spark when he'd decided to up and leave. She told him that if he ever needed to talk to come speak to her. That she would try her best to help with whatever problems he was having. Klaus thought this was a nice gesture.

Diego had looked like he might have cried. He was always quite sensitive, but he tried to hide it for a while. He hadn't really said much at all to Klaus when he first arrived back, but then he had come through to Klaus's bedroom that evening. 

"Why'd you leave?" Diego questioned, leaning against the doorway.

Klaus looked up at Diego, he was coming down from his high so he felt quite emotional right then. Ben had told Klaus to go ride it out alone, because he was busy. Klaus wasn't offended this time though, he understood that Ben wouldn't want to watch him go through this.

"I guess I just needed to get out." Klaus muttered, gritting his teeth as a wave of nausea came over him, but he pushed the feeling down.

Diego frowned, "Why'd you need to get out? Did something happen?" He seemed genuinely interested yet also worried at the same time. Klaus could tell from his awkward stance that he was trying to hold himself together. To keep himself looking casual and cool. 

"My mind doesn't.. like me sometimes." Klaus smiled sadly at him. "It was telling me stuff that I guess might not be true, but I'm still not sure."

Two nodded a little at the information. "You should.. like, uh, get some help for that then." He mumbled. He understood the feeling that Klaus was probably dealing with. He got like that sometimes, but working out really helped him to work through it. 

Klaus of course used drugs to help himself through the racing anxiety. He shouldn't do that, but he also wasn't really one for exercising much. He was skinny, but only because of how often he had no appetite. He also just happened to have a very fast metabolism which he praised the gods for. Or maybe Satan, whoever had blessed him with it was in due of thanks. 

"Maybe, maybe will." Klaus sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. He felt like shit, he just wanted to take more to make the feeling go away. Only issue with that was, that it would be a waste because he would hopefully be going to sleep soon. If he could manage it. This house plagued him with nightmares.

Diego hummed a little, "Okay, good." He shifted awkwardly before straightening up. "Night." He swiftly left the room, leaving Klaus alone again.

Diego did want to talk to Klaus more. He envied the friendship Klaus had with Ben, even if it seemed questionable. He wasn't sure what was going on there, but he supposed he'd rather leave them to whatever it was they did alone together.

Klaus chewed on his lip, he wanted to go apologise to Ben. At the same time, he didn't want to speak to him. He felt slightly awkward around him now after the long time of not seeing each other. They had been so intense before, and now the sudden drop in contact had left Klaus unsure of where he stood.

Of course Ben had been relieved yet angry to see him. That Klaus understood whole heartedly. Ben had missed him, he'd really missed him. Allison had also told him how depressed Ben had been while Klaus was MIA. 

He wished he hadn't caused these issues, and Reggie wasn't too happy that he'd fucked off either. He'd missed a months worth of training. Boo hoo- Klaus wasn't bothered at all. He'd preferred being away from all that bullshit.

The Academy was a waste of time as far as he was concerned. Normal life was so much more fun, he fucking hated his burden of a power. He would be so much better off if he didn't have to see the dead. The dead hated the fact that he could see them too. They wanted him to not see them, they wanted to hide and be left in peace in the afterlife.

Reggie didn't allow that though, he wanted Klaus to explore his powers of talking to the dead corpses that floated around- stuck in the world with unfinished business. And when he tried to contact someone who had no unfinished business and had died peacefully alone he was left with a searing migraine. Those ghosts didn't take too kindly to being disturbed.

Klaus decided to break his train of thought. He got up off the bed, deciding he would go and see Ben. He wanted to see if it could go back to the way it was. He slowly made his way through to Ben's room. He knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered instead of walking right in like he used to. 

Ben answered the door, he was in his pyjamas. It was 11 o'clock at night to be perfectly fair. He had been in bed already, Klaus could tell from his ruffled hair and the fact that he looked like Klaus might have woken him up.

"Yes?" Ben asked, yawning after he spoke. He did look quite tired.

Klaus stood there silently for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what to say. He didn't know what he wanted either. "Hi.." 

Ben frowned a little, "Something up, Klaus?" 

"No, nothing up. I just, well, I don't know." Klaus fumbled over his words, suddenly feeling very awkward. It didn't feel the same, Ben wasn't acting the same as before. 

"Okay, well.. I was sleeping." Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked Klaus over. "Do you want to come in, or are you going to go to bed?"

Klaus shifted for a moment before responding, "Can I come in? Just for a little.." he spoke shyly, scared to piss off Ben anymore than he already had.

Ben stood back, allowing Klaus to slip past him. He then shut the door and sat back down in his bed. He rubbed at his eyes, resting his back against the headboard as Klaus sat down at the end of the bed.

"Want to talk about it?" Ben questioned after a few minutes of silence.

Klaus shrugged a little. "Not much to say.." He said quietly, avoiding catching Ben's eye. He felt nervous in his presence, he felt uncomfortable. He could still feel the dominating nature from Ben but he didn't feel so safe in that right now. 

"Well, there is. What happened? Why did you leave? What have you been doing this whole time you've been gone?" Ben questioned, beginning to wake up a bit as he was getting heated. 

Klaus gulped, glancing up to look at Ben. He looked so disappointed in him and it made him feel very small. "I left because everything was just getting to be too much. I can't deal with it." He admitted, going quiet for a moment. 

Ben didn't say anything yet, he wanted to let Klaus speak before he said anything.

"I, well, my mind races a lot. It works too fast and it's very painful to listen to sometimes. And the ghosts I can see hate me, they tell me things too. It's just a lot to deal with, which is why I was smoking weed. It makes my mind stop racing- most of the time if I'm with you it makes my mind stop and the ghosts go away. But when I'm not with you, it starts again. I don't want you to feel like I am clingy though, because I'm not. Your presence just seems to scare everything away." Klaus let out a breath. He felt horrible admitting all of this, but it also lifted a weight off of his shoulders.

Ben nodded gently, he seemed calmer now. "Well, I'm glad that my presence can help those feelings. But you need a way to deal with it that isn't drugs or me, honey." He let the name slip, hoping it would comfort Klaus, even if he was still not happy with him. They still had a long way to go before they would be back to the way they had been before all of this.

"I know, I know I do. I just don't know how to get help.." Klaus whispered. He tugged gently on his hair as he tried to run his fingers through the curls. "Being away from here did help a little, it took some pressure off. I guess moving out would help a lot."

"Well, this house is terrible. I can't wait to move out and get on with my life and do something worthwhile." Ben agreed with Klaus's want to move out. It would do the world of good for the both of them. "Want to tell me about anything else?"

Klaus shook his head, he felt too overwhelmed right now. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. "I just wish it was the same as before." He struggled to keep the whimper out of his voice.

Ben felt his heart ache. It was very obvious to him how delicate Klaus had become. He clearly needed a lot of structure brought into his life. Some sort of dominate figure who could guide him. 

"Here, come here Klaus." Ben opened his arms, watching as Klaus crawled up the bed and collapsed into the space between Ben's arms and legs. 

Klaus clutched onto Ben's pyjama top, hiding his face in his neck. He breathed in deeply, wanting the scent of Ben to be ever imprinted in his mind. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Ben."

"Shh." Ben stroked his hair. He didn't say anything else, just attempted to lull Klaus to sleep. He'd rather he slept peacefully in his bed than disappeared all over again. He just needed to keep him very close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting more interesting to write again because I added drama. Fluff is too boring sometimes oops


	14. Pancakes, Numbness and Depression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben have that talk.

Klaus woke up alone the next morning. He was still in Ben's bed, but Ben just wasn't there. He didn't really feel like getting up though, felt a bit shit honestly. So instead of leaving Klaus just pulled the covers tighter around himself. He could feel that his jeans he'd been wearing were no longer on him. Maybe Ben had taken them off for him.

Ben was much too nice to Klaus, he didn't understand why he was still being tolerated after everything that happened. Klaus would hate himself if he was Ben. Though he was glad at the same time. He didn't know if he would be able to deal with Ben being so angry at him that he was rude like the others. He would feel very, very alone if that happened.

Klaus felt his chest aching a little, he felt so upset and down but he wasn't sure why. He didn't know what reason he had to be feeling like this. He wished it would stop, he didn't want to have to deal with being depressed. Having his racing mind, which was probably an anxiety disorder, was enough for him. Depression would push him over the edge and he really didn't want that. 

Ben pushed his bedroom door open, having gone for a shower. He'd left Klaus to sleep for longer as he saw no need to wake him up early. Ben was fine doing things alone for a little while. Just knowing that Klaus was safe in his bed made him feel much more at ease than before. 

"Morning." Ben hummed, noticing that Klaus was awake but still curled up in his bed. All he had on was a towel slung around his waist, barely hanging on. His hair was still wet too, little droplets of water clung to his shoulders.

Klaus looked up at Ben from the warmth of the bed. He felt his stomach twist and he was sure his cheeks turned pink. "Morning.." He couldn't help the fact that his personality just seemed very dull now. He was too afraid of saying the wrong thing that he was turning into himself. Becoming an introvert. 

"Sleep good?" Ben busied himself finding clothes for the day. It would be breakfast soon, and he was sure it would probably be an awkward one. Having Klaus back after him disappearing for a month. He was trying his best to act normal though. Well, normal as in how it was before they got together in the first place.

"I guess yeah." Klaus nodded, sitting up in the bed, but pulling the sheets up with him. It was definitely a better sleep in a bed with someone he liked. Sleeping on a couch high out of his mind for a month didn't work very well. 

"Good." Ben went quiet again, thinking things over. He got dressed, keeping his back to Klaus. He also put his boxers on under his towel. He wanted to have a platonic relationship till Klaus was sorted out. It would be too toxic for the both of them if they tried to be together when one of them wasn't feeling like their best self.

Klaus fidgeted for a moment before he let out a small cough. "I'm gonna go get dressed." He mumbled, climbing out of the bed and grabbing his jeans. He didn't want for Ben to reply and instead just rushed through to his own room. Luckily he didn't see anyone in the corridor. 

He let out a long breath when he reached his room. It was so hard talking to Ben right now, it just felt all wrong. It felt awful. His chest ached around him because he knew Ben wasn't happy with him. It was confusing to Klaus that Ben had let him sleep in his room, but maybe that meant they could go back to how it was before. That's what Klaus was hoping for anyways.

Number Four grabbed some random clothes out of his drawers and closet, he would need to go and get his stuff back today from that flat he'd been crashing in. It was going to feel weird staying here again, but it wouldn't be for long now. Hopefully he could move out soon- not that he had much money of course. 

Klaus heard the bell ring for breakfast but he waited a moment, trying to hold himself together. He felt ready after a moment and then made his way downstairs. He'd just put on a pair of leather jeans with a vest and then a hoodie zipper over the top. All black of course. He wasn't feeling very bright and colourful at the moment.

Ben was already at the table by the time Klaus got there. He made eye contact for a moment before breaking it again to focus on the food they'd been given. Ben was dreading the conversation he would have to have with Klaus. Have to tell him that they couldn't be together at the moment. They could be friends, but not more. 

Klaus poked at the pancakes on his plate. He didn't feel hungry, not at all. He didn't want to eat because he felt too nervous. Feeling like this just put him off completely and made him feel sore inside. His bones felt weak too, but he didn't necessarily want to help that. Maybe if he left it he'd just fade away and then cease to exist.

Everyone else ate their breakfast just fine and left the table, including Dad. Klaus stayed seated wondering when the empty feeling in his chest would go away. He watched as Grace cleaned up the plates from breakfast. She paused when she reached him.

"What's wrong, Klaus? I thought you loved pancakes?" She asked, sounding confused and a little worried. 

"It's okay, Mom. I'm just not hungry this morning, feel a little sick." Klaus tried to play it off. He stood up, pushing his chair in. 

Grace let it slip, "Well, please try to eat your dinner later at least." She told him. "If you need anything, let me know." She beamed her usual happy smile at Klaus before continuing to tidy up from breakfast.

Klaus just slipped away, out of the house. He would just go and get his stuff now. It was still in bags, he'd just been living out of the bags. And at this time, hopefully, the guy would not be in. He should be at work. 

It didn't take him long to reach the flat. It wasn't ages away, maybe about a 15 minute walk. Klaus let himself in, finding it empty. Thank god. He was glad, he couldn't have been bothered with what would have happened if what's his face had been home. 

He quickly set about grabbing all his belongings and shoving them back into the bags he'd brought over. Lastly he chucked his key for the place on the counter, stole a pack of cigarettes and some vodka from the cupboard and then left. He'd likely never see this guy again- he could even quit the comic book shop. 

He could find somewhere else to work, the comic book shop was cool and all but it wasn't that exciting. He barely did anything all day. Maybe instead he could teach himself something new and do that instead. He guessed he'd have to wait and see, maybe he could talk to Ben about it.

Klaus hated that with every thought the next thing to jump into his mind would be Ben. To include Ben. Though he couldn't really help it, the time apart had convinced him how madly in love he was with Ben. It fucking hurt being so in love with him. 

Ben heard Klaus go into his room, he could hear the rustling of bags too. He wondered where he'd been, but decided he didn't want to actually know. He'd rather be left in the dark about that. It could have been anywhere- but Klaus was okay, he was alive. So that was fine. 

He wasn't entirely sure when he should have this conversation with Klaus. It was almost lunch now though. He'd noticed that Klaus didn't touch his food at breakfast- a meal that he usually scoffed within minutes. But maybe he just felt sick coming down off all the drugs he'd been on before. 

Klaus shoved all his stuff away in the closet and put the vodka in the back of a drawer along with the cigarettes. He could keep that for when he really needed it, a special pick me up. Not that he technically needed that at 17. God he couldn't fucking wait till he was 18. He'd be able to do a lot more- but not drink yet. He needed to be 21 for that, fucking stupid rule.

He decided after all of that effort to go and have a shower. He probably smelled awful after not showering for god knows how long. He didn't remember, he was bad for not washing when he was high. 

Klaus made sure to lock the door behind himself before he stripped and then got into the shower. He absolutely hated looking at his body. His ribs stuck out badly and his arms had scars all over them. His thighs had marks from cigarettes being put out on them- not that he remembered that happening. He'd just woke up with the marks. He was surprised Ben never mentioned the marks, but then again maybe he didn't notice them in the dark. 

Klaus made sure to wash his hair well- he stole Allisons shampoo and conditioner because it was the closest thing to him. And then the only body wash that was there that he liked was Diego's, so he used that to. Diego never smelt bad so he supposed it would do fine. Ben always hid his body wash and shampoo, he didn't like other's using it. Well, he used to let Klaus use it. But maybe he didn't want to right now. 

Klaus soon rinsed everything off and got out the shower. He dried himself off in the bathroom and just got dressed in the things he had on earlier. They were still relatively clean, he hadn't had them on for that long so it would be fine. 

He found himself standing outside Ben's door, fingers resting on the wood. Klaus didn't understand why he felt so unbelievably nervous in Ben's presence right now. But he could feel negative vibes coming from him, so maybe that was messing with his mind too much. He was sure it would be fine though. They could go back to how they were before. 

Klaus craved the love he felt from Ben before this had happened. He missed his gentle touch so badly. He wanted to feel Ben on him again. He wanted Ben to make him feel safe again, safe and loved.

Klaus knocked eventually, deciding that it would be fine. He was working himself up for nothing. If he just talked to Ben more it would be just like before. 

Ben answered, looking a little... put off? to see Klaus. "Hi."

Klaus waved awkwardly. "Want to hangout?" He asked hopefully, biting his lip after he spoke. He felt so hazardous. 

Ben took a moment to reply. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about something. So, we can do that right now. Come in." 

Klaus walked into the room, sitting himself down on the bed. Ben was going to tell him that he was sorry and it could go back to how it was before. They'd be the cutest couple again.

Ben sat on the chair, opting not to sit right beside Klaus on the bed. He felt that could possibly make it more awkward than it was going to be. 

"Right." Ben sighed, "I'm guessing you know that we need to talk about us." 

Klaus nodded quickly, "Yeah, I wanted to talk about that too."

Ben hummed slightly. "Okay, so. I am hoping you'll agree with me. I have missed you while you've been gone." 

Klaus nodded in agreement. 

Ben continued, "Okay, and it would be lovely to go back to how we were before. We were very close before and it felt good."

Klaus smiled, this conversation was going the very way he wanted it to. 

"So, after everything that's happened I think it would be best if we-"

"Get back together? Yes! I was really hoping you were going to say that." Klaus exclaimed happily, cutting Ben off before he got a chance to say what he wanted to.

Ben frowned, "Aw.. no. Klaus, honey." He felt really bad for doing this, he saw the way Klaus's face fell. The way he physically closed in on himself and the disappointed look that began to cloud his face. "We need to take a break."

Klaus could feel himself getting choked up, but he tried his best to push it back. This really hurt. "Oh, right yeah. Yeah maybe that would be better." He smiled through the pain, trying to act like he wasn't bothered.

"I just think in the mindsets we are both in right now, it wouldn't work very well. You need to work on yourself. A lot. I hate the drugs, Klaus. I'm not going to sit back and watch as you spiral down that hole again. So, if you really want this. You're going to need to get clean. I can't put myself through that." Ben told him, his tone very serious. This was hurting him too, but he was much better at hiding it than Klaus was. 

Klaus just nodded, he didn't speak. He felt sick to his stomach, and his hands felt shaky. He didn't know if he would be able to handle being around Ben all the time when he loved him as much as he did. It fucking hurt just sitting a few feet away from him. Klaus just wanted to kiss Ben. To hug Ben. He wanted to fuck Ben- to have sex with him again. 

"I will be here for you, as a friend." Ben informed Four. "But I am going to be completely platonic. Us is not going to happen until we are both in better states of mind. It would be too toxic to be together when we are both not in the right mind to do so." 

Klaus swallowed back his tears. He dropped his head for a moment. He really wanted this all to be a horrible nightmare, but the pinch to his arm still hurt. He was awake, he was living out his worst nightmare in reality. 

"Klaus?" Ben asked. Klaus hadn't spoken for a long time now. 

"I was just thinking. It's okay, I completely agree." Klaus whispered. He hurt so bad, he needed to get away from Ben. But he wouldn't run away from home again. He would stay, he just would avoid talking to Ben altogether. Avoid the fucking world altogether. 

"I'm glad you agree. It will be the best thing to do, for both of us." Ben sat back in his chair.

Klaus stood up, "Yeah. I'm just gonna go.. go and uh.." He didn't bother finishing his sentence because in reality he was going to go and sob. He was going to throw up, and he was most definitely going to smoke himself into oblivion. He was going to take as much as he could until he couldn't feel anything anymore.

He wanted to be fucking numb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to cry writing this, I'm very sorry ):


	15. Weed and Toasties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego and Klaus grow closer.

Klaus refused to come to lunch. He was asked to by Allison, but he wouldn't move from his bed. He had hotboxed his room, it reeked of weed but he preferred that. Right now he didn't want to feel like himself. He fucking hated Ben. 

That was a complete lie. 

He just kept telling himself that he hated Ben because he didn't want to focus on the pain of losing someone he loved. He didn't understand why Ben couldn't stay with him, make him feel loved and help him through it that way instead. This way wasn't going to work, or if it did it would take too long.

He didn't know how much of the weed he had smoked, but he wasn't sure he would have much left. He would rather stay high out of his mind than have to face real feelings. He knew that was weak, that he was being very weak.

There was a knock on the door, but Klaus didn't reply. He was melted into his bed, half asleep yet his mind felt so down he couldn't sleep. He could hear the door being opened, but he didn't bother turning to face the door. He kept facing away, wishing that whoever was there could just go away. 

"Klaus." Diego spoke, he had wondered why Klaus hadn't come to lunch. He had brought some food up with him, a cheese toastie because he knew that Klaus liked them. He was fighting through the smell of the drug wafting through the air. 

"What?" Klaus mumbled, rubbing a hand down his face before he pushed himself over to look at Diego. He supposed Diego wasn't too bad, he could speak to him. He'd rather speak to him than Ben right now, and Diego had always been attractive to Klaus. 

"I brought you some food.. in case you wanted it." Diego held the plate up, walking over to the bed. "Why weren't you at lunch? Are you sick?"

Klaus pushed himself into a seated position, his body felt so heavy. "Just didn't want to come." He snapped a little.

Diego frowned but didn't mention the snap. He sat down on the edge of the bed, passing Klaus the plate. "I got Mom to make this for you." 

"Thanks." Klaus whispered, feeling his heart ache as he looked at the toastie. Ben usually made him these as a snack. He could feel his eyes tearing up. 

Diego was confused, "Did something happen? Please talk to me, Klaus." He'd never seen Klaus this upset before and it honestly made him feel upset too. He didn't like it when his siblings were upset (except maybe Luther). 

Klaus shook his head, "I can't tell you, it's bad." He choked out. He could feel the tears start to slide down his cheeks. He tried to ignore that though, picking up the toastie and beginning to nibble at it. It did taste amazing. 

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Diego assured him, looking around the room for a second. He realised what the problem must be now. "Did something happen with Ben?"

Klaus let out a choked sob at the mention of Ben's name. "Is it that obvious? I'm such a fucking wreck."

"I just.. I figured if it wasn't he would have been here with you. But he's not.." Diego told Klaus, frowning. 

"Yeah, it's to do with him." Klaus muttered. He could feel his chest shaking from the attempt to hold back tears. He knew he must have looked like utter shit. 

"Want to talk about it..?" Diego asked. He wondered if Klaus had a thing for Ben, he'd noticed the looks he gave him. 

Klaus shook his head, "Not right now." He sniffed, wiping his arm across his face to try and clean up the snot covering his face. "Thanks.." He whispered softly.

"It's no issue. If you want to talk you can come find me." Diego assured Klaus. He patted his thigh before getting up and leaving. 

Klaus was left to his own devices again. He finished eating the toastie and then moved the plate onto his bedside table. He felt a little better for eating, but he didn't want to go to dinner. He would just make out that he felt too sick if Mom came to check on him. Could robots smell drugs?

The weed was still having a very heavy effect on him, he figured maybe a nap would make him feel better. Maybe it would wear off enough that he could move about and do something. Right now, he really wasn't sure that he could do anything. He could barely feel his legs.

\--

Klaus woke later on to a quiet house. His clock read that it was 2 in the morning. He'd slept through dinner.. shit. His stomach was growling at him- that was the reason he'd woken up. On the bright side, he didn't feel so high anymore, he felt he could move easily now. 

He dragged himself out of bed, checking his face in the mirror. He looked a mess, he must have cried himself to sleep. Fuck.

Carefully, Klaus made his way down the hall. He was quiet about it, didn't want to disturb anyone. The house was so quiet, it made him feel so lonely. More so than he already was. 

The kitchen was dark, so he turned the light on. It was so clean- Mom was too good to them. But she'd be recharging right now, so he couldn't go and bother her. He'd just have to scavenge and try and find something easy to make. 

He raked through the cupboards, the only thing he could find was pasta. So that was sitting out on the counter. Luckily, during his search through the fridge he had found pesto. There was some dinner sorted. It wasn't hard to boil up some pasta till it was ready, then all he had to do was add the pesto. 

Klaus managed to find a pot, so he filled that with water and got it on the hob, chucking in a couple handfuls of pasta. That would be enough, he didn't need a lot. He just hoped he hadn't woken anyone up. He would feel awful if he had. 

He sat on the counter, just watching the water boiling as his mind ran away, thinking about what had happened. 

The day had felt so long. He had woken up hoping it would end up happy and instead he'd had his heart ripped out and thrown away. Just what he'd wanted. Why would Ben even come and find him if he was just going to do that to him? It felt bad. He felt so sad. 

He didn't really want to sleep alone either. He'd gotten used to sleeping in a bed with someone else. He couldn't sleep in Ben's bed. Ben would kick him out, definitely. Plus, he felt like this because of Ben. 

The pasta was done eventually. Klaus just sat and ate it in silence before washing up the dishes in the sink, leaving them on the drying rack. He made his way back to his bed, feet dragging behind him. What if he asked Diego..

Klaus decided he would chance it, he got changed into pyjamas before he tip toed to Diego's room and knocked on the door. He waited a moment, hearing shuffling in the room before the door was opened.

Diego was half asleep, groggy. "Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, looking at Klaus who was standing awkwardly on the other side of the door. 

Klaus gulped, Diego did look good right now. But he wouldn't do that to Ben. He just wanted to be able to cuddle with someone so he could sleep. "I.. can I sleep in your bed?" Klaus asked.

"Why? What's wrong with your bed?" Diego asked, his voice rough from sleeping. 

"Nothing, I just.. I don't want to sleep alone right now." Klaus admitted, rubbing his arm and looking anywhere but at Diego. 

Diego was starting to figure out more about Klaus and Ben's relationship the more Klaus confided in him. He felt bad for Klaus, he couldn't imagine being rejected. He assumed that's what had happened. "Sure." 

Klaus smiled a little, shyly. "Thanks." He stepped into the room when Diego let him in. 

Diego chucked his robe at his chair, left in just his boxers. "Sorry, but this is what I sleep in. Hope that doesn't bother you." He told him as he climbed back into the bed.

Klaus shook his head, "It's okay." He paused before getting into the bed beside Diego. "Thanks again." He pulled the covers up. 

"It's okay, what are brothers for?" Diego hummed, lying on his side. Facing Klaus. 

"Well, I don't think normal brothers sleep in beds together." Klaus mumbled with a cheeky smile. He was trying his best to not be depressed. It was hard.

"Very true, but I suppose we aren't really real brothers so it's cool. We're just good friends." Diego let out a yawn. 

Klaus nodded, "Yeah, I agree." He mumbled, sliding down a little, trying to get comfy. Diego had a double bed, it was comfy too. 

"Okay, I'm gonna go back to sleep. If you need anything, let me know." Diego told Klaus, shifting about till he was comfy and closing his eyes. 

Klaus was grateful for Diego. He was glad that he was getting closer to him. He wouldn't try anything, he had already fucked it up with one person. Plus, Diego wasn't gay? He was pretty sure he wasn't. And he did still really love Ben. He was so madly in love with him. Just thinking about him brought butterflies to his stomach. But right now those butterflies made his stomach churn. 

He got himself comfortable, turning to face the opposite direction from Diego. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, enjoying the scent of boy around him. It made him feel much safer than girls did. 

Klaus woke up in the morning, feeling a body pressed against his back and an arm around him. He was confused for a second about his surroundings, but he realised it was Diego's room. He didn't bother to move, it felt comfortable. He didn't take it as sexual at all. 

Diego started to come to, he felt a body against his front. He just pulled whoever it was closer to him. He liked having someone to cuddle, boy or girl. He hummed a little, hearing the body laugh a little. He realised it was Klaus.

"This isn't something brothers do." Diego mumbled against his shoulder. He knew he was coming across as being flirtatious, but he didn't mean it like that.

Klaus let out another laugh, "Definitely not." He smiled, feeling a bit better that morning. "It's comfy though, and warm."

Diego hummed in approval, "Very comfy." 

They stayed like that, quiet for a little while longer before moving apart and sitting up. Neither of them felt awkward, it just felt like they were good friends. 

Klaus yawned loudly, pulling the covers up higher. "Thanks for letting me sleep here." He mumbled, looking over to Diego.

Diego shrugged, he was sitting up, covers sitting around his waist. "It's all good. I don't mind having a bed buddy."

Klaus was quiet for a little while, "I really don't want to see Ben." He admitted after a while.

Diego nodded, "I can imagine.. but, you're gonna have to. Just don't speak to or look at him." He suggested. "What is happening with that, if you don't mind me asking?"

Klaus hesitated, "Um.." He didn't respond for a little while before finally coming up with a response. "We.. well, we are taking a break from.. whatever we were. Because of the drugs, and because of my mind and stuff." 

"That sucks. But, it gives you a chance to work on yourself. Maybe it would be better if you could get better." Two looked at Four.

Klaus nodded, "I guess, just really sucks. Like a lot. I feel so depressed right now.."

"You will, but it will only get better. I promise." Diego told him.

"I really hope it does get better." Klaus sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna keep Diego and Klaus platonic, do not worry. Klaus just needs a break from seeing Ben, I felt bad for him.


	16. Guilty Conscience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler, a chance to see into Ben's mind.

Klaus spent the day cleaning up his room, trying to distract himself from being depressed. He was also trying his best to not be tempted into smoking weed or snorting any lines of coke. He should be able to handle not talking it, if that's how he can get back with Ben. 

He had to admit, he had an itch from the want to snort coke. He really wanted it, so fucking bad. He needed to not do it, he really needed to try and kick this addiction. He could admit now that he was maybe a little addicted to it. 

He hadn't spoken to Ben since their last chat. He was avoiding him still, worried that seeing him would send him spiralling. All it would do was remind him that he couldn't have him. Of course that just pissed Klaus off as well as made him upset. Not a good combination. 

Klaus had finished tidying everything up now though, his room looked pretty tidy and his desk was organised for once. He decided to get dressed- he was still in his pyjamas. Luckily, since he'd tidied, everything was easier to find. 

He put on a clean pair of boxers, chucking the used pair into his washing basket. Grabbed a pair of ripped skinny jeans from the dresser and a bright coloured wife beater. He figured this would be fine, but for good measure, he pulled a hoodie zipper on over it. Had to cover his arms. 

Klaus sat on his bed after he was dressed, just looking around the room. It looked so much better than usual- hell it didn't even look like his room. It was.. not spotless, just very neat. But he guessed this was his journey towards becoming a better person. 

It was coming up for lunch time, and he guessed he could go and eat. He hadn't gone for breakfast, but he was feeling a little better at the moment. He was just ignoring the aching of his heart. It was weak. 

He could go see Allison or Diego before lunch though, he didn't think either of them were busy. Maybe Allison would be with Vanya though, it wasn't likely that Diego would be doing much. Klaus settled on him and stood up, heading through to Diego's room. The door was open.

"Hello?" Klaus called, poking his head round the door. 

"Hmm?" Diego turned round to look at Klaus, he'd been sitting at his desk. 

"I'm bored." Klaus shrugged, walking in. He figured it would be fine to come hang out with Diego, would be a change for definite. 

"Are you really? What have you been doing all morning?" Diego asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I tidied my room and got dressed.. so that took a while." Klaus hummed a little, "But I don't want to do any work so I don't know what to do."

Diego shrugged a little, "It's almost lunch so I dunno what to do." 

Klaus groaned, "Don't be boring, Diego!" He frowned at him. "You're supposed to entertain me."

Diego raised an eyebrow, "I do not." He tried to act serious for a second before laughing.

Meanwhile, Ben could hear the two of them talking and laughing. It made him a little annoyed that Klaus was talking to someone other than him. Though he guessed after what he'd done that Klaus wouldn't really want to speak to him. 

Ben didn't want them to stop talking though, he just needed to take a break from the romantic side of things. He wanted to just be platonic until Klaus wasn't interested in drugs anymore. He really could not handle the state he was in when he was fucked up and high. Weed wasn't terrible, but it was clear that it had encouraged Klaus to start messing with cocaine. He knew that's what he'd been on that day he'd found him. 

He decided to make his way down to lunch, it was almost time anyways. Just as he left his room, Diego and Klaus left Diego's. They were walking down the hall, joking with each other. Klaus didn't look upset. He was glad he didn't look upset though, he knew it was his fault Klaus never left his room yesterday. 

Ben hesitated about catching up with the two of them, but in the end he decided against it. But maybe he would try to talk to Klaus after they had food. Food would maybe help them both feel a little better, clearer minds. 

Ben hadn't been feeling too good either, he felt immense guilt from what he'd said. He kept replaying the moment in his head when Klaus seemed to light up at the thought of getting back together, and then he'd crushed him. Ben couldn't handle the fact that he'd made Klaus so depressed.

He felt fucking awful because it was his fault that Klaus had been avoiding talking to anyone. It was his fault that Klaus hadn't been coming to any of the meals. Everyone else was under the impression that Klaus was just feeling under the weather. Though technically he really was under the weather, but it was more mental than physical. Not that that discounted it though. 

He made his way down the stairs, quite slowly, pausing at the bottom when he saw that Klaus and Diego had stopped in the middle of the entrance room. Ben felt nervous, he didn't usually feel like this, but he wasn't sure how Klaus would act around him now. 

Klaus looked back, noticing Ben. He stiffened up, looking away quickly. Seeing Ben brought back the feelings he'd felt when they'd decided.. or well, Ben decided, to go on a break. He didn't want to look weak in front of him right now though, so he tried to brush off the feelings and act like he was fine. 

But he really wasn't fine. He was fucking far from it. He still felt depressed as hell, he was just trying not to because he knew it wasn't good to wallow. He was fighting hard against the feelings of loneliness and emptiness. It was weird how one person could have this much of an effect on him. 

Klaus just grabbed Diego's arm and pulled him over to the kitchen so they could sit down. He was so glad that he didn't have to sit next to Ben, before he'd been sad about it. Now, it was really useful. Lunch was ready now anyways, he could just eat and then disappear. 

Ben felt his stomach twist at the look in Klaus's face when he saw him. It was all he could see in his head now, it kept replaying. He just wanted to make Klaus feel better, he wanted to hold him and bring him things to make him happy. He knew Klaus wouldn't accept that, and he knew he shouldn't do it either. They were going to have to stay away from each other. 

Klaus ate his lunch slowly, staring mainly at his plate. He felt very paranoid being in the same room as Ben. He didn't know why, but it was just putting him on edge. He wanted his break to be over. He hadn't had drugs today, he was better, surely..

Ben left the table as soon as lunch was over, beginning to head back to his room. He wasn't sure what he would even say to Klaus if they spoke. He was trying to form together some string of conversation to follow. But it was difficult. Hell, they were only 17. Granted, almost 18. 18 very soon- but they weren't good at dealing with emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably going to do a bit of a time jump after this one


	17. Sobriety is in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday time!

-1st October 2007-

Klaus woke up to the sound of the bell ringing for breakfast. He'd gotten quite used to sleeping in late rather than getting up at the proper time. He hadn't touched any drugs- not even painkillers. He was clean and had been for a month now. He was very proud of himself. 

He dragged himself out of bed, glancing at the calendar on his wall. "Oh, shit." He switched it over to October. The month of Halloween, and also that it was his and all his siblings birthday today. 

He had gotten a few things, something for Allison, something for Diego, something for Vanya and of course something for Ben. They weren't back on the same terms, but they did speak now. Just not the same as before. 

Klaus decided to get dressed quickly though. It was breakfast time and he hoped it was something nice. He pulled on his favourite pair of jeans with the lacing up the side and a crop top. It was all black, but that's how he felt today. 

He headed down the stairs, being the last to get to breakfast. He knew his hair was a mess as he hadn't bothered doing much else than putting clothes on. He took his place at the table, smiling as he realised it was scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.

"Happy 18th Birthday!" Grace chimed happily after she finished setting down the plates. 

Everybody thanked her before digging into their breakfast. Everyone really enjoyed this breakfast, it was the go to birthday breakfast. Quite fancy. 

Klaus was a little worried that Ben wouldn't like what he'd gotten him. He'd thought long and hard about it, even though they weren't on the same terms as before, he still wanted to give him something amazing. He wanted to get back together with him. 

After breakfast was finished Grace asked them to stay at the table for a moment as she had gotten all of them a gift for their 18th birthday. Klaus was excited, wondering what it could possibly be that she had gotten them. He guessed it would be something handmade- Mom was always so sweet. 

"Here you go." Grace smiled her beautiful smile at everyone as she handed them a rectangle shaped gift wrapped up. "Everyone can open it now!" She stood back from the table, watching as everyone opened their gifts.

Grace had given them all a cross-stitched canvas with their names and something that represented them (to do with their powers of course).

"Thanks Mom." Diego spoke up, smiling at her. Klaus caught his eye and smiled a little too. He knew how much Diego adored Mom, even though she was a robot. She still seemed like a real human being. 

Klaus got up once they were allowed to leave. They had the day off for training and working, they could do whatever they wanted today. He was so glad about that. He considered suggesting that they could all go out bowling or to get ice cream or milkshakes or something. It would be better than being cooped up in the house all day.

Ben caught up with Klaus, grabbing hold of his arm. "Klaus."

Klaus looked back at Ben, stopping walking. "Yeah?" He asked, biting his lip after he spoke. A nervous tick he had.

"Happy birthday, honey." Ben smiled, pulling him into a small hug that Klaus happily returned. 

"Happy birthday Ben." Klaus mumbled against his shoulder. "I missed you."

Ben rubbed his back a little with his free hand- he was holding the canvas he'd been given. "I know.. I'm sorry, but it's okay now." 

Klaus pulled out of the hug, "Can we try us again?" He asked hopefully, he knew it might take a little bit to get back to how they were though.

Ben paused, "Well.. are you clean? Have you stopped?" He started walking, expecting Klaus to follow him.

"I am, I haven't had anything in over a month now." Klaus told him honestly, "I've stopped."

Ben smiled, "I'm proud of you." He leaned over and kissed the side of Klaus's head because he knew no one else was there to see it. "I'm really proud."

"Me too, I-I'm kind of glad that we had the break because it meant I actually had incentive to get clean, to stop using. I feel a lot better about myself now that I've stopped. Only thing is I can see them again." Klaus admitted with a small shrug.

"Well, I'm here for you. I will always be here for you. I can try my best to help you with your power." Ben offered, smiling gently at Klaus.

"That would be appreciated." Klaus hummed a little. "But, anyways- can I give you your present?"

"If you'd like to, yes." Ben nodded, following Klaus into his room. He was glad to be getting back together with Klaus, it felt better this way. He didn't feel so guilty, and it also meant that Klaus had started talking to more of their siblings than locking himself away. 

Klaus got out the wrapped gift he'd gotten for Ben, he really hoped he liked it. "Okay, here you go." he handed over the gift to Ben, waiting, watching him. He really did feel quite nervous now.

Ben thanked Klaus before he began to carefully unwrap the gift from Klaus. "Oh Klaus, thank you sweetie!" Ben grinned at him. 

The gift had consisted of a candle with the scent of vanilla. He knew Ben liked that. Along with a couple of books that he'd seen on Ben's list of books to read next, and a picture of the two of them in a frame. 

"Do you like it?" Klaus asked, chewing on his lip. He wasn't sure Ben really loved it, despite the excited thank you and the grin. He wanted to be very sure.

"I really do, thank you so so much." Ben placed them down on the desk carefully before turning to face Klaus. "Come here."

Klaus had waited so long to hear that tone of voice again. He loved the shivers it sent down his spine. He obeyed the command of course, so glad to be with Ben. 

Ben pulled Klaus into a kiss, his hands resting on Klaus's hips. It was soft, a slow kiss. Very sensual and Klaus couldn't help but melt into it, his hands gripping Ben's t-shirt. He really missed the feeling of Ben's lips against his, it made him warm inside. It made him nervous. He could feel butterflies flying around his insides. It felt like the beginning again, like it was the first time all over again. 

Ben pulled back after a moment, resting his head against Klaus's. "I'm so sorry for our break baby, I really missed you." 

Klaus just smiled, his eyes were still closed. "It's okay, I'm just happy to be back together like this." He sighed happily. 

Ben let out a happy laugh, "Okay, well I think there might be something for my favourite boy in my room." He began to drag Klaus to his room. 

Klaus happily followed him, exciting to see what the present for him was. He still needed to get ready, but that was okay. Presents were much more important to him than getting ready right now. 

Ben sat Klaus down on the bed before going into his wardrobe and getting out the gift for Klaus. He had wrapped it of course. He handed it over, waiting for Klaus to open it. He was very excited for Klaus to open this. 

Klaus began to unwrap his present, not being as careful as Ben had been. He didn't care about the wrapping paper- it was just blue with balloons on it. Inside the paper was a jacket with a fluffy collar and cuffs. It was gorgeous. "Ben, this is so fluffy!"

"I know, try it on." Ben laughed, watching Klaus. He was starting to get a little nervous- what if Klaus didn't want to? He was so screwed if he didn't. He watched as Klaus slipped the jacket on, turning in circles as it flew around him. It was a long jacket of course- he knew Klaus loved looking at those jackets. Or he used to at least.

"What's- I can feel something in the pocket?" Klaus was confused, he dug his hand into the pocket, feeling something sort of sharp, he pulled it out. There was a key with a keyring attached that had B+K in a heart. 

"I was wondering if you wanted to move in together?" Ben asked hopefully.

"Move in together?" Klaus asked, looking up at Ben. He was shocked. 

"Yeah, I've been working hard.. I've been saving up and got an apartment. It's not got any furniture yet." Ben smiled shyly, really hoping that Klaus would want to take the offer.

Klaus paused for a moment, he could feel all the butterflies building up in his stomach again. He felt like he was dreaming. He could move in with Ben? They could live together, away from this house.

"Klaus?"

Klaus launched himself at Ben, jumping up and hugging him- Ben caught him, holding him up. "I'd love to! I love you!" Klaus laughed, hugging Ben tight. 

Ben laughed too, a wave of relief washing over him. "I'm so glad." He grinned, pressing a kiss to Klaus's cheek. "I can't wait baby."

"Me neither, I still have money from my job. I can help get the furniture!" Klaus was ecstatic. 

Ben spun them both around before placing Klaus down and kissing him for a moment. "I'd love that."

Klaus was so happy, he was glad he'd spent the past month getting sober. Now he could really start his life- it could be good, he could be something. Do something useful with his life. He could be with Ben. He could even change his last name.

Ben squeezed Klaus's arm gently, "Want to go give any other presents to the others?" He asked.

Klaus nodded after a moment, "Yeah, but I didn't get Luther or Five anything. I'll just get some coffee or something for Five later. And Luther deserves nothing." He huffed, heading to his room to pick up the other gifts. 

The two headed to Diego's room, Klaus chucked the gift at Diego's head, laughing when he got a fright. "There you go, happy birthday knife boy."

Ben placed Diego's gift down on the bed, "I won't throw it at you, don't worry."

Diego laughed a little, "Hmm okay. I'm kind of worried about what you got me Klaus." 

"Don't be worried! It's good, open it!" Klaus pouted, leaning against Ben. He had no problem letting Diego know that they were together, he knew anyways. 

Diego rolled his eyes and started to unwrap the gift. Klaus had gotten him a hoodie with 18 on the back. It was black, the 18 was white. He couldn't really afford much.

Ben's gift to Diego was a jar of peanut butter and a CD for some obscene band that Diego listened to. He hadn't been able to get much as he had been trying to save for the apartment for him and Klaus. 

"Thanks guys." Diego smiled, looking at the few gifts. "I've got stuff for you as well, it's.. uh it's in the drawer." He gestured to a drawer in his dresser. 

Klaus eagerly opened the drawer, finding two wrapped gifts. One had a K and the other had a B, so he handed the B one to Ben. "I wonder what it could be?" Klaus hummed, shaking it a little, hearing something jingle. 

"Don't shake it!" Diego snapped a little, "You might break it."

Klaus just laughed at him and began to unwrap it. "I won't break it, don't you worry!" Inside was a box, and inside the box was a necklace with a glass jar and inside was some red dust. 

"It's supposed to be lucky or ward off the dead or something, so.." Diego shrugged a little, smiling awkwardly. 

"So sweet, thank you." Klaus giggled, putting the necklace on himself. "I hope it works, if it doesn't I'll get you." 

"Oh sure, I could beat you easily." Diego crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. 

"I challenge you then!" Klaus grinned, striking a fighting pose. 

"Klaus, shut up." Ben laughed, opening his own gift. Inside was a crystal stone looking thing, it was pretty had all sorts of blue colours all over it. 

"Thought you'd like it." Diego hummed, sitting up a little to look at the stone.

"Yeah, it's really pretty." Ben smiled, turning it over. He actually already had a couple fancy stones that he collected. "I can add it to my collection."

"Perfect." Diego grinned, leaning back in his chair again.

"Guys, can we go bowling later?" Klaus begged the two of them. "Pleaaaaaase!"

Diego tilted his head a little, "Not just the three of us, that would be boring. We should invite Allison and Vanya."

Klaus laughed, "Maybe we should invite everyone, not be rude." 

Ben nodded, "Bring everyone, don't leave anyone out. It is all of our birthdays after all."

"Okay sure." Diego sighed, "I'll start getting ready then." He stood up, sifting through his closet. 

Klaus and Ben left the room, Klaus taking the lead. They exchanged gifts with Allison and Vanya fairly quickly and invited them to come bowling too, which they both happily accepted. Allison had given Klaus some high quality makeup, Vanya had given Klaus some nail polish. In return Klaus gave Allison a pretty skirt he'd spotted and Vanya a CD with classical music on it that he thought she'd like. 

Ben had given the two girls some makeup that he'd found and a little jewellery. He figured it looked nice and he wasn't the best at getting gifts for girls. They'd both just given him some books and some chocolate. It was appreciated though, he did enjoy chocolate. 

Soon enough everyone was on their way to the bowling alley to spend lunch and the afternoon there. It would be a much better afternoon than spending it in the house, it was their 18th so it was kind of important. Klaus was personally sad that they weren't in the UK because that meant they could have gone out drinking, but he didn't suppose Ben would like that very much. 

It was all okay though because they were back together and hopefully would be moving out very soon, they'd get their own place and jobs or go to college. He couldn't wait to actually start a normal life- being a Hargreeves was overrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering ending the book here and make it into part of a series so that I'll just do some snippets or requests if anyone wants to see them doing anything in particular. I feel like it's come full circle now, and the issue has been resolved of the drug habit.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I am now obsessed with the umbrella academy, Klaus and Robert Sheehan. Oops..
> 
> here we go, starting another fic purely bc Ben and Klaus would be the absolute best.


End file.
